Tekken 24: Day One
by Winterfall007
Summary: COMPLETE! After being tortured in Korea, Hwoarang returns to Japan, where he faces 24 hours of chaos with Jin, Xiaoyu, Lee, and other new characters.
1. Prologue

Tekken: 24-Style - One Year After KOIF 4.  
  
Author's Note: The world of 24 isn't just about the stories you see on the FOX show, which just won a Golden Globe for Best Drama. The world of 24 is based on the "real-time" effect it has on its characters and/or stories. Aside from that, the stories and characters in Tekken series are interesting to explore. I just wanted to write something that brought both worlds together. Sadly, thought, all of the characters won't get their own individual storylines. But, left-out characters might appear sometime in the "day". And, I don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
Heihachi Storyline - Heihachi is the head of Mishima Zaibatzu. He is growing old and his company is growing weak as well. He decides to hold one last King of Iron Fist. He decides as well to not participate in the tournament. The winner will receive the company and his good wishes. But Lee has caught wind of this and does not think that it's a good idea. In fact, he wants the company for himself and is debating if he wants Heihachi dead.  
  
Hwoarang Storyline - After King of Iron Fist 4, Hwoarang was found, arrested, and tried in front of a military tribunal for attacking fellow officers and for going AWOL. But instead of being detained and then killed, he is secretly promoted and given his own squad. His work in SpecOps has given him command of a small group of soldiers as reckless as he is. He doesn't know leadership, as experienced as he was, he's unsure of his next move here. Not only that, but he finds out that this group is actually run by the UN in cooperation from Korea. His first mission is all too familiar. He must find a terrorist who plans to kill Jin Kazama. The only wrong with the assignment is that Hwoarang doesn't want the promotion. He just wants to go back to the hustler's life he once knew.  
  
Jin Storyline - Jin has contacted Julia for help in finding out the secrets of the Devil gene. The past year had been remarkable. Not only was he in love with Julia, but the research had been remarkable. They had discovered the astonishing secret behind the devil gene and are bringing it to the public. The only thing that made him doubt the release of the info, was the one death threat he had received. He told the heads of the United Nations about the possible dangers of the so-called "devil gene", but other than his family and Julia, nobody else knew the actual truth. Who would want to cover it up?  
  
The following takes place 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm. Events occur in real time. 


	2. 12:00 pm 1:00 pm

Tekken: 24 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm  
  
The following takes place between 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm. Events occur in real time.  
  
Somewhere in Japan.  
  
12:00:00 pm: A motorcycle speeds down a busy street, weaving in and out of traffic. Whoever it is, he's reckless. The driver speeds the thing further, the speedometer already at peak speed. The T-intersection up ahead was fast turning from a blur to what would metaphorically sound like a brick wall. The driver lined the bike up, thankful that the neighborhood was clear of traffic at this time of the day. It would have been a bitch otherwise. As soon as he hit the middle of the intersection, he let go of the bike, slamming to the ground. The bike went forward, running right into the front door of a house. The bike disappeared into the house and was followed by a loud boom. The house then exploded into a giant fireball. The driver got up, appreciating his handy-work, and thanks to a bad landing, limped to the waiting car nearby.  
  
12:04:56 pm: Hwoarang Doo San got out of the limo. He had never been this uncomfortable. He kept thinking of another time he felt this restrained, but he couldn't think of one. He walked up onto the curb, only to be flooded by reporters and paprazzi alike. The image he presented wasn't him. First off, his hair was cut short, again. Second, he was wearing a suit. He hated them. He kept tugging at the colar; he felt like someone was choking him. The suit wasn't his idea, of course. His lawyer told him to wear it. It would make him look professional.  
  
He walked into the courthouse preparing for the worst. He was up for going AWOL and for attacking fellow officers, one of which had to take medical leave because his spleen ruptured. Hwoarang didn't think his attacks were that bad. Either that or the man was weak to begin with. The courtroom was empty. He had heard no press was allowed. The prosecuting lawyer had already arrived.  
  
His lawyer showed him to his seat. He felt ridiculous. But he was also beginning to become suspicious. All the media outside but not a soul inside? What gives?  
  
The judge came in from his quarters and presented himself. Since this was a somewhat military court, the judge didn't need a jury. This wasn't a strung out trial either. The judge was here to give his ruling, and based on the judge's face, Hwoarang knew it was guilty.  
  
The judge sat down.  
  
"I need the lawyers to leave." He said.  
  
"What?" The prosecutor said. Hwoarang was confused.  
  
"What's going on?" he said. He had been to court before for various charges years ago, but this was strange.  
  
"I said, I need the lawyers to leave." The judge repeated.  
  
"May I ask why?" Hwoarang's lawyer asked.  
  
"You'll find out. Now go." The judge said.  
  
The lawyer's left. Hwoarang was left with the judge.  
  
"Sgt. Doo San." The judge said.  
  
"Yes?" Hwoarang replied.  
  
"I'm here to tell you that you are not going to be charged."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're not being charged. In fact, you're being promoted."  
  
"What kind of fucking joke is this?"  
  
"It's no joke. You broke out of the base to go to a fighting tournament. Did you even realize how well-guarded that base was. The base itself was under complete lockdown. No one in or out, yet you went missing." The judge said.  
  
"At least someone here acknowledges my work." Hwoarang said, grinning.  
  
"I'm here to give you an assignment, Major." The judge said.  
  
"So I'm a Major now. Didn't I miss a few ranks back there?"  
  
"Yes. I'm assigning you as the new head officer of a special UN anti- terrorist team. Your first mission is to find a terrorist that is threatening to kill a man known as Jin Kazama." The judge said.  
  
Hwoarang nearly fell out of the chair. He was a bit speechless that he was not only being pardoned for the insubordination, but he was promoted to Captain, and told to protect Jin Kazama. He felt like he was going to throw up. In fact, this day was bad enough. But, being in the army sounded as bad as being in jail. But at least this way he had some freedom.  
  
"Ok. What's next?"  
  
12:11:23 pm: Jin Kazama was sitting in a car, waiting at a stop light. He looked at his watch, wondering how much time he had just wasted waiting for the longest light in the world to turn green. He turned on the radio. The noon news report was on.  
  
"What else do you have on the traffic report, Jack?" the announcer asked.  
  
The light turned green, and Jin turned right, headed for home.  
  
"Well, I don't have all the details, but it seems an explosion rocked a local neighborhood about ten minutes ago. Fire and police are just arriving, but the plume of smoke is big from this angle."  
  
Jin turned left onto the long stretch in front of his house. He noticed the smoke, but didn't think anything of it. But in the distance, he saw it. His house was in shambles. The house next to them was also partly damaged. He pulled alongside the curb and put the car in park. He couldn't believe it. Two weeks ago, he received a death threat after he got back from the UN offices. But he didn't think they would actually go through with it. Julia had told him to not worry. But he still couldn't put it out of his head.  
  
And now it happened. His phone rang. It was Julia. He answered it.  
  
"Hey sweetie."  
  
"Honey? You won't believe what I just found out."  
  
"Yeah, same here."  
  
"Well, you first."  
  
"No, what did you want to tell me?"  
  
"Well, I think I just found a possible cure for the virus!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. I mixed it with a solution that actually had sulfur in it, and The virus dissipated and the blood was still clean." Julia said, ecstatic.  
  
"My god, that's great!"  
  
"It is. So, go ahead, what were you going to tell me?"  
  
Jin stared at the house and suddenly felt empty. The joy of finding a cure to the virus was amazing, but then remembering the fact that somebody wanted him dead made him forget all of that.  
  
"Nothing, hon. I'll see you when you get home."  
  
12:16:03 pm: The past year had changed Heihachi. The things he saw had made him change. Not necessarily for good, but to live peacefully. He didn't lift a finger for anybody else. He lived for him and him alone. He sat in his office, high up on the top floor of Mishima Zaibatsu building. The sun was high up in the sky, and the world below seemed small. He was beginning to love the time alone he spent up here, watching the city live from a bird's eye view. The only noise came from the street. The door opened behind him.  
  
He was beginning to get good at guessing who came in to his office. Their footsteps not only gave them away, but the way they walked gave it away. His secretary was light, but her high heels gave a smack at the end of the step. Lee was soft on the heel and on the toe, almost as if he didn't want anybody to know he was coming. There were others, but Lee and his secretary were the only one's who really came in. It happened to be Lee this time, being obnoxious as usual.  
  
"We have the results on the next prototype of Combot." Lee said loudly, his voice booming of the walls of the large office.  
  
Heihachi winced at the sound of Lee's voice. Not only was he obnoxious, but he was loud.  
  
"How did it perform?" Heihachi asked.  
  
"Brillantly." Lee responded.  
  
Heihachi looked at the files Lee dropped down in front of him. Lee was correct, the stats showed that the Combot excelled in the test phase. The scientists were able to distinguish between multiple fighting style techniques and different fighting personalities of those who participated at King of Iron Fist 4. But Heihachi didn't want to hear about this anymore. He'd had enough of evil schemes that always end up going bad. Failure after failure, his plans always seemed to crumble at the last possible moment. Last time, he tried to kidnap Jin and Kazuya in order to extract the Devil gene from within them. But, they escaped, and his plan was nothing but another failure. No more.  
  
"Ok. You can go." He said to Lee.  
  
Lee looked at him before he turned to go. Lee hadn't seen him like this before. Heihachi was quiet, insecure, even somewhat lazy. Lee had seen this. In fact, he was hoping it would continue. The old man had gone soft. This was the perfect time for him to strike.  
  
Lee walked out of the office. Heihachi hit the button on his desk. His secretary once again came walking in. she really was kind. She was young, beautiful, but tall. With that brown hair, and striking eyes; Heihachi wished he was young again.  
  
"Yes, sir?" she said.  
  
"I need you to take a memo." He said, quietly.  
  
She got her pad ready and looked at him when she was ready.  
  
"I, Heihachi Mishima, am announcing The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. The winner will receive the company, no strings attached. Only this time, I will not be fighting." he said to a stunned secretary.  
  
12:24:58 pm: Hwoarang walked through the halls of the courthouse, being led by the "judge" who he found out was a Captain. The Captain led him to an elevator. The two entered, and Howarang wondered where he was going. The elevator was sleek and professional, colored in sliver and black. Howarang looked down onto the black tiled floor. He could see every detail in his reflection. He put his hand on his stomach, continuing to watch his reflection. He sometimes got a kick out of mirrored images. The elevator stopped, he was still looking at the floor.  
  
"Doo San!" the captain scolded.  
  
Hwoarang snapped to attention and looked forward. The emptiness of the elevator was mirrored by the floor they had just arrived on. He felt like he was in some sci-fi flick. The halls were white, pure white. As they began to walk, their footsteps were the only things he could hear. He wasn't used to being in places like this. It made him feel restrained. A door that Hwoarang could have sworn was something out of Star Trek opened. Inside was a normal briefing room. It was a bit anti-climactic, seeing these futuristic halls being followed by a briefing room that may have been built over ten years ago. He walked in to find two men that were probably around his age. The captain motioned for him to take a seat, as he did with the others. Hwoarang sat down and glanced at the two men next to him.  
  
The Captain walked to the wall in front of them. He looked at the three men and grinned.  
  
"This is hilarious. I've got three talented misfits, about to be briefed by me. I never thought I'd see the day."  
  
"Get to the point," one of the other men said.  
  
If Hwoarang was going to be work with these guys, he was glad. The other guy took the words from his mouth.  
  
"Lt. Jack Fleming - England, Sgt. Chang Lin - China, meet Maj. Hwoarang Doo San - Korea. He'll be your commander on this assignment." The captain said.  
  
The three men nodded to each other. They all looked at each other as if someone had invaded their territory. "Maj. Doo San is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, Lt. Fleming is an expert with firearms, and Sgt. Lin is an all-around soldier. The one thing you all have in common is that you don't like to take orders. Well get used to it. You're going to get orders, but consider them objectives. Take whatever means you need to get them done. Are we clear?"  
  
The three men nodded. The captain took this as a sign of compliance. An image was projected onto the wall almost at the same time the lights began to dim. The image was of Jin Kazama.  
  
"You mission is to protect Jin Kazama. He has come up with some top secret information for the UN and he has been targeted for death. We have intelligence reports that state that a terrorist group have hired a well- trained assassin to terminate him." The captain said.  
  
The picture changed to a live news report. The picture showed Jin's demolished house and the police and fire crews surrounding it.  
  
"Jin Kazama's home was destroyed approximately thirty minutes ago. So far, reports show that nobody was home. The method used was a motorcycle according to eyewitnesses. We are currently trying to find Jin and his fiancée, Julia Chang." The captain said.  
  
12:34:31 pm: Jin was driving to Julia's lab. He didn't want a lot of people to know where he was. He didn't talk to the police when he saw his house. He had pulled off to the side of the road and lied to Julia. He just couldn't tell her then. He was in shock. But now he had had a few minutes to collect himself. He was going to go get Julia and take her to the UN offices. He had to get some protection. As far as he knew, he was the only one who knew about the death threat. Julia could take care of herself, but he could tell she didn't like threats. Something like this would definitely make her stop her research.  
  
His phone rang. Jin looked at the ID. It was unknown. He never picked up on unknown numbers. This time he was curious. Maybe it was the people who blew up his home. Jin was known to have quite a vengeance, and now it was starting to piss him off. He answered it.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Jin Kazama?"  
  
It was a woman's voice.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"This is Olivia Hong, I'm a special assistant to the UN. We've been trying to get a hold of you." The woman said.  
  
"What do you want?" Jin said.  
  
"We have placed you on our protection list. When we saw that your home had been hit, we worried that you had been taken out. Now, we know that you are alive. You need to be protected." The woman said, concerned.  
  
Jin was coming up on Julia's building.  
  
"Ok. But I want my fiancée to join us."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"She's at her lab, I'm about to go in to see her."  
  
"No! Mr. Kazama, the people who are behind this might know where she works. They would obviously try to kill you there."  
  
She was right. But something about her was still off. She had only given her name, not anybody else's. He was becoming concerned.  
  
"What do you want me to do? I'm not going to leave her behind. Not with this happening." Jin said.  
  
"Well, Mr. Kazama. Stay where you are. I'll have a team come and pick the two of you up." Olivia said.  
  
Jin didn't buy it. This Olivia Chang had a very familiar voice, but he just couldn't place it. When he would get off the phone, he would call the UN and check up on this woman.  
  
"Ok. How long will you be?" Jin asked.  
  
Jin stopped at a red light.  
  
"Fifteen minutes." She said.  
  
"Meet me in the parking garage next to her building." Jin said.  
  
"Ok." She said.  
  
They both hung up. Jin was worried about Julia. He felt like he just put her in danger. The light in front of him turned green, and he turned to go into the parking garage. His car moved down the ramp, and a delivery van stopped directly in front of him, causing him to slam on his brakes as it blocked his way. Jin got out of the car and turned around, just as something hit his neck. He felt the fuzzy tip of a tranquilizer dart. His vision became blurred as the drug quickly took effect. He collapsed to the ground and blacked out. 12:42:49 pm: Lee sat in his office. The space had a window that looked down onto the testing lab that contained his creation, Combot.  
  
He knew this was the beginning. This would prove to people that he could run this company better than Heihachi, make more money than Heihachi ever did.  
  
Lee walked down into the lab via his office. He hit the keys on the controls to power up Combot. He went to the computer and set up a fighting protocol with the machine.  
  
The restraints on the machine backed off, and the machine began to walk forward. Lee stepped away from the computer and removed his shirt. He got into a fighting stance and placed himself in front of Combot.  
  
Lee aimed his first kick for what would be Combot's face. Combot sidestepped and grabbed Lee's leg and threw him to the ground. Lee bounced up and blocked Combot's charge of punches. The machine just as quickly stopped and delivered a roundhouse kick to Lee's side, making contact. Lee winced as he backed off, trying to find another strategy to face the machine with.  
  
The machine then switched into another fighting personality. This time, it was Heihachi's personality. Lee smiled and charged the machine, delivering a fatal blow to his opponent.  
  
12:48:21 pm: Julia was in her lab. The good news she had given Jin had backfired. The virus somehow came back. She had separated the blood from the solution she had fixed, then tested it. Somehow, the virus had come back. She was tired and hungry. This day was already wearing her down. She had been here four hours and she thought she had a breakthrough. But then this. She felt like she was beginning to fail.  
  
She got up from her chair at the desk and walked down the hallway to the elevator. People were walking around doing various things. They all worked for her, and kept trying to solve the puzzle of this damned gene. The setback she just had was technically minor, but it just bugged her. Jin seemed happy to hear the news earlier, and now, he'd be back to the worried state she had constantly seen him in. She hit the button for the fourth floor. The cafeteria was open and she needed to eat. She stepped off the elevator and went to the bathroom first. She didn't hear a lot of noise coming from the cafeteria; people must be back to work. Then she looked at her watch. Yeah, lunch hour ended at 12:30. Julia went into the stall when she heard somebody come into the restroom. She did her business. After a few minutes she was done, and she had been thinking about the formula of the solution she used. She had thought of a couple of different things she could try. She decided to go get some lunch, then go back down to the lab and get back to work. Julia left the stall and went to wash her hands, standing next to a blonde woman who was putting on some makeup. She must have been from the executive group that was coming into the building. Julia finished washing her hands and was drying them with a towel, when she realized something. The executive group wasn't supposed to tour the building until 5 pm tonight. She glanced at the blonde woman, who glanced back at her. Julia could have sworn she met her somewhere before, but she couldn't place it. She went back to the door.  
  
*PFFT*  
  
Julia heard the noise and then felt nothing. She saw the splatter of blood on the white bathroom door. It was the last thing she ever saw as she hit the ground, dead.  
  
Behind her lifeless body, Nina Williams detached the silencer from her gun, placed it in her briefcase and left the bathroom.  
  
12:56:54 pm: Jin continued to follow the doctor around the halls of whatever building he was in. Jin kept asking him where he was, but he got no answer.  
  
Finally, the doctor came to a door and opened it. He walked inside and the doctor shut the door behind him. He was in some sort of locker room. He walked around the rows of lockers and didn't find anyone.  
  
"Jin Kazama." A familiar voice said.  
  
Jin turned around and saw the last person he expected to see: Hwoarang.  
  
"You son of a bitch." Jin said, his anger beginning to rise.  
  
"Sorry for the ambush back there. We bruise easily." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang was getting a kick out of this.  
  
Jin charged at him, knocking his shoulder right into Hwoarang's abdomen as he ran him into a wall. Hwoarang lost his breath and Jin took advantage, punching him hard in the face. Hwoarang fell to the ground, kicking out Jin's ankles along the way. Jin fell onto his ass, and Hwoarang got up onto one knee and delivered a right cross to Jin's jawbone.  
  
"That's for cutting open my lip, fucker." Hwoarang said, offering him a hand getting up.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Jin asked.  
  
"I don't want anything, except a rematch. Actually, I'm here to protect you. I was assigned to a UN task force. For the next day, I own your ass." Hwoarang said, leaving the bloody lip alone. It kind of looked cool.  
  
Jin shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"Oh, shit. Not you. This day is going to be hell."  
  
Hwoarang laughed. "You have no idea."  
  
12:59:57 pm. 12:59:58 pm. 12:59:59 pm. 1:00:00 pm.  
  
Responses to reviews: kaZuya.cAlibur - You have no idea. I'm planning this with twists that only 24 would include. I've got a killer twist coming up. You'll love it. 


	3. 1:00 pm 2:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
1:00:00- Lee lied on the floor of the lab. He was giving up. The beating he had just received was proof that Combot was the best fighting machine ever built. He began to raise himself up. He spit out a good amount of blood from his mouth.  
  
He had been beaten to a pulp. He had never felt the pain like this before. He was wondering if he'd broken a couple of ribs. He stood up and walked over to the robot, which went into standby mode after Lee was knocked out. He admired how the robot could fight anybody and not even break a sweat, no matter how good they were. He loved at how the machine could read a person's moves and copy that exact same move in the exact same style. Lee picked up his shirt and headed for the showers, he needed it.  
  
1:03:12- Jin followed Hwoarang into the briefing room, where Hwoarang knew they wouldn't be disturbed. He motioned for Jin to sit, and then sat down himself. He had to take care of this. It wasn't going to be plastic surgery, but the slight interrogation to Jin might push his buttons. And after experiencing Jin's little outburst, Hwoarang didn't want to waste all his energy on fighting just right now.  
  
"Jin, I need to go through a few things with you."  
  
Jin sat back in his chair, lounging.  
  
"What's that?" Jin asked.  
  
"Records. My punishment you could say." He said, flipping through the files, not sure where to start.  
  
Jin smirked. Hwoarang saw it out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"What's so funny?" He asked, still paying attention to the files.  
  
"Nothing. It's just odd to see you actually serious about something other than kicking my ass for once." Jin said.  
  
"Well, I decided it was serious after seeing your house blowing up on the news." Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin went straight-faced.  
  
"Yeah, I guess that would be pretty serious, wouldn't it?" Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang took the pen off of the folder and began to write. He didn't even look at Jin as he asked him the questions.  
  
"Spouse?"  
  
"Julia Chang."  
  
"Her home address?"  
  
"The new lab building on Komita. I don't know the number." Jin said.  
  
"She still doing that science crap?" Hwoarang asked, off-topic.  
  
"Yep." Jin said, tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair as he continued to lounge back on it.  
  
Hwoarang finished the writing in the file. He closed it, put his hands together and looked at Jin with the serious look still on his face. Jin just looked right back.  
  
"Tell me about the Devil gene." Hwoarang asked.  
  
Jin paused for a moment.  
  
"The gene was originally inherited by the men in my family. It's a very complicated, mysterious, and baffling. Somehow it is laced into the DNA of the subject's blood. We still don't know why it skipped Heihachi. His father had it, my father had it, and I have it. I went to Julia, asked her for help. She had tried to research for a cure at first, but then we found something. There was a virus that my father contracted about five months ago. The virus caused the gene to react, and he turned into a devil."  
  
"A devil? Like you with the wings and such? Hwoarang asked.  
  
"No. A devil. Blue skin, red eyes, demonic wings, horns even. A devil." Jin said.  
  
"Jesus. How long did this last?"  
  
"After he turned into the devil, he disappeared. Two weeks ago, he came back. He was the Kazuya we all know and love." Jin said.  
  
"Are you afraid of it?" Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin never responded.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes." Hwoarang said.  
  
1:10:24- Nina Williams walked onto the roof of Julia's building and pulled out her phone. She looked across the way and could just barely see the flags of the local courthouse, about one mile down the street.  
  
She quickly dialed her speed dial. A man picked up.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
"It's me. Is the team ready?" she said.  
  
"Yeah. We're waiting for the order."  
  
"The courthouse down on Komita." she said.  
  
Nina took out a PDA that showed pictures from an infrared satellite. There was a strong signal coming from a beacon at the back of the courthouse.  
  
"He's in the south part of the building. Check for elevators. He's probably underground." She said, hanging up after finishing the sentence.  
  
Down below, a truck belonging to a Japanese U-haul business pulled off the curb and traveled for the courthouse.  
  
1:13:58- Heihachi sat in front of his computer. He wasn't happy. He had pulled up the security cameras in the lab and watched the whole fight between Lee and the Combot. He wasn't mad about Lee being beaten, but that the fact that the Combot was too damn good. He brought up the files on Combot. The lists of the fighting data came up. He debated whether he wanted to just simply delete the files and get it over with. He didn't want Combot. It was just too powerful. He hit the button on his desk.  
  
The secretary walked in.  
  
"What's my schedule for the rest of the day?" Heihachi asked.  
  
"You have a meeting with a confidential client at two, a briefing over the Combot results at three, and you have a tour of the new Mishima Labs building at 5." She said.  
  
"Good. That's all." Heihachi said.  
  
Heihachi sighed at put his head in his hands. After a moment, he got up and went towards his private dojo. He needed to get his blood pumping. He was bored too.  
  
1:17:33- The oversized U-haul truck pulled up to the loading bay door of the warehouse. It had originally been installed to escort protected witnesses away from possible sniper fire, but lately it was used to transport food for the kitchen staff. Today was the last day it would be standing. The door to the truck flew open and a man dressed in tactical gear placed a C4 charge on the door. He patted the side of the truck, and the driver pulled it forward. The loading bay door then exploded into flames as it flew off. The truck pulled back up to the door, and about twenty men entered the courthouse carrying MP5's and shotguns, all in tactical gear.  
  
1:20:49- Hwoarang was in the locker room changing when the explosion sounded. He finished putting his T-shirt on, grabbed his USP .45 sidearm, and ran into the hallway. A few people were frantically running around, thinking 9/11 was happening all over again. Upstairs, machine gun fire sounded off. Hwoarang ran into another room, specifically set aside for living quarters and found Jin. He looked just as worried as all the people running around.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Jin asked.  
  
"It was a bomb, we got to get out of here, now!" Hwoarang said, pulling Jin's arm towards the door.  
  
Hwoarang heard a woman scream, followed by the sound of a shotgun shell coming into contact with human flesh. He remembered the sound and the smell all too well. He peeked out the door to find two men coming towards him. Luckily, they were looking in a different direction when he looked. He squatted down onto one knee, and counted to three. He poked his head out of the doorway, gun arm out along with it. Hwoarang popped off the first shot, hitting the front-most guard in the groin.  
  
He aimed to the left, at the second-most guard and popped off two more rounds, hitting the man in the face both times. He then returned to the first guard who was screaming and lying in a growing pool of his own blood. Hwoarang aimed at the man's head and fired.  
  
Hwoarang turned to face Jin.  
  
"You know how to use one of these?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Kind of." Jin said, holding the gun.  
  
Jin could notice the droplets of blood on the gun, definitely splatter.  
  
"Follow me, and stay close." Hwoarang said, pulling out into the hall.  
  
Hwoarang took the two dead men's guns, a MP5, and a shotgun. Hwoarang strapped the shotgun to his back and then brought the MP5 to his shoulder, and his finger on the trigger. He kept looking forward at the t- intersection of hallway that was in front of them.  
  
"Watch our backs, you see anything, shoot it." Hwoarang said, quickly moving forward.  
  
Jin was lost. He didn't understand what was happening. Hwoarang, "the long red-headed, loud-mouthed, cocky, fighting son of a bitch" had turned into Hwoarang "the semi-short red-headed, quiet and professional, killing motherfucker." And all in the four years since the third tournament when he first met him.  
  
Hwoarang checked the halls. They were clear. The two men road the elevator to the main floor of the courthouse. The down arrow light on the elevator clicked on.  
  
"Good. We just missed them." Jin said.  
  
"Not that good. They'll take the stairs." Hwoarang pointed out.  
  
He looked up at the ceiling, wondering if he should hide on the top of the elevator car. He decided against it.  
  
The doors slid open and Hwoarang check the angle from the side he was on. Jin was on the other side. Hwoarang knew he wasn't used to this. He was curious what would happen if he was shot at.  
  
"We clear on that side?"  
  
Jin glanced out into the hall.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
  
"Whatever. Let's go." He said, going into the hall. Jin walked backward, gun pointed forward, taking the rear.  
  
The two made it into the front hall of the courthouse. There were bodies, but not as many as Hwoarang had seen. He looked out and saw one of the men that was assigned to him, Fleming, was down. He was dead. An MP5 strapped around his shoulder.  
  
Hwoarang decided to avoid the main hall. It would take just a well-placed sniper to take them both out. It was a deathtrap. The two moved back in the hall they just came from. Forty feet away, Hwoarang heard footsteps coming, the he saw the shadows hiding around the corner. The beauty of being a man who knows Tae-Kwon-Do is that you know how to be light on your feet. Hwoarang always knew how to run silently. He held his breath as he ran to the corner, not making a sound, even with boots on. The man on the other side of the corner had been standing still, back turned towards him.  
  
Hwoarang tried to be careful. The daylight was pouring through the windows, and it was conviently at the angle that if Hwoarang went into the light, the shadow would appear in front of the other man, and blow the surprise.  
  
Hwoarang continued to study the shadow. He didn't recognize it. He looked back at Jin for a second, noticing that he had caught on to the idea of how to watch somebody's back. Jin had squatted to the floor and hi gun pointed out in the direction of the main hall, just waiting for something to move. Hwoarang then turned his attention back to the man around the corner. The man began to turn around when, WHAM!  
  
The man lost consciousness after seeing the boot-covered foot move away from his face.  
  
"Jin! Let's go." Hwoarang said.  
  
1:35:06- Lee could hear the grunts from outside the dojo. He walked in to hear Heihachi give an amazing battle cry as he punched his hand directly through the bag. It took a moment for Heihachi to pull his hand out of the bag.  
  
Lee clapped. It was kind of funny to watch an old man take his anger out on a harmless punching bag, especially seeing as now, Heihachi would need a new one.  
  
"What do you need, Lee?"  
  
Lee came here to do what he had been planning on doing, to take over. Right here, right now.  
  
"I need to tell you something." Lee said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, it's a moment I'm going to cherish for a long while to come."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm taking over." He said.  
  
"Really." Heihachi said, tightening the belt on his uniform.  
  
"Yes. You've been going soft when it comes to production of Combot. I tested it out myself about an hour ago to make sure it was ready." Lee said.  
  
"I know. I watched you get your ass kicked." Heihachi said, not amused by any of this.  
  
"Which proves that it needs to be mass-produced." Lee said.  
  
"I've spent a lot of time thinking about that. An independent A.I. taking the place of human fighters? It takes the fun out of the sport, if you ask me." Heihachi said.  
  
"Not just fighters. Soldiers." Lee said.  
  
*Not this crap again,* Heihachi thought.  
  
He had offers from military contractors, asking if Combot would be able to fight like a soldier. He didn't like the idea much anymore. Maybe it was because he had a fighter's heart and didn't like the idea of a machine that had no soul taking his place, or maybe because it just didn't seem ethical. Whatever the reason, he still said no.  
  
"It's unethical." He finally said.  
  
"The contractors called me. Asked me if I thought it sounded like a good deal. I happened to agree with them. They're planning on offering us over $100 billion! Think of how revolutionary this would be." Lee said, starting to sound like a desperate businessman.  
  
"And revolutions can go both ways, Lee. Good and bad." Heihachi said, defending his point.  
  
"Whatever. The board of directors wants to see you at three this afternoon. They'll have a vote. Be there." Lee said.  
  
He then left the room, leaving Heihachi thinking whatever he wanted to think.  
  
1:43:54- Nina arrived at her drop point. Phase A was in progress. The courthouse was being taken, they just needed Jin alive. That wouldn't be too difficult.  
  
She was on top of a large building. It had become very windy in less than thirty minutes. It didn't matter. She knew how to shoot under extreme conditions. She pulled her rifle out and waited for her target to show himself.  
  
1:45:25- Hwoarang ran back into the offices of the courthouse. Jin was covering the hallway. Hwoarang knew the building wasn't safe, they had to relocate.  
  
*So much for the UN team,* he thought.  
  
He had found the other member of the team lying dead in the kitchen. He was shot dead while grabbing a bite to eat. It must have happened a few seconds after the explosion. He continued to rifle though a desk until he came upon a key ring with a single key on it. A piece of paper was on it along with the key. The writing on it had to be from a dealership. The paper read: "2003 Crimson BMW 740il". Hwoarang glanced outside the window next to him. About a hundred feet away was a Crimson BMW. Hwoarang chuckled at his natural dumb luck. Then he heard four shots coming from the hall.  
  
"I could use some help here!" Jin yelled.  
  
Hwoarang looked at the exit in front of him. Jin was backing up into the office, firing like crazy. Hwoarang wondered if they would be able to make it to the ground floor safely if they jumped out the window. They were on the third floor, and he didn't think they would.  
  
"Oh, fuck it." He said aloud.  
  
Hwoarang took the machine gun and fired at the window. The window shattered into a hundred pieces.  
  
"Kazama! Let's go!" He yelled.  
  
Jin was already in the office. He slammed the door shut and pushed a desk in front of the door. Jin came over to the window and looked down, nothing but concrete below. It would be a tricky landing.  
  
"Fuck it." Jin said, and jumped.  
  
The door blew open thanks to a grenade. The soldiers began to rush, but Hwoarang shot off a couple rounds of the MP5. They backed off for a moment, and he took the chance to jump. The jump had to be fifty feet at least. Hwoarang landed with more force on his foot than he should have and fell down, pain shooting up his right leg. He let out a minor yelp, and looked back up at the window. The soldiers were looking out the window. Hwoarang took the gun and fired at them, hitting one in the arm.  
  
Hwoarang got up and took the key from his pocket, threw it to Jin and pointed at the BMW. Jin started the car and pulled it around. The sunroof came down less than a second later, and Hwoarang jumped into it, the return fire from the soldiers upstairs just missing him.  
  
They got away, for now.  
  
Hwoarang sat down in the backseat and checked his ankle. He didn't think it was broken, but he could hardly move it. And when he did, it hurt like hell.  
  
"You ok?" Jin asked.  
  
"I think I jammed my ankle." Hwoarang responded.  
  
Jin looked at the front console. A phone was lying on a charger. He grabbed it and immediately began dialing.  
  
"Who you calling?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Help." He responded.  
  
1:55:31- Heihachi was coming back into his office when his secretary came over the speakerphone.  
  
"Your grandson is on line 1, sir." she said.  
  
*Why would Jin be calling?* he thought.  
  
Jin hated him. More than he hated the devil gene inside of him. This was too much of a surprise. He picked up the phone.  
  
"Jin?" he said.  
  
"I need help." Jin said.  
  
"What's wrong?" he said.  
  
"I've been targeted. Somebody is trying to kill me." Jin responded.  
  
"Where are you?" he said.  
  
"I'm headed to your office, now. I would head over to Julia's lab, but I think she's dead." He said, thinking aloud.  
  
"My god." Heihachi said.  
  
He could hear in the background gunfire.  
  
"Get some people ready, we should be there in about ten minutes!" Jin yelled.  
  
The line was then disconnected.  
  
Heihachi hesitated for a second then picked up the phone to call his security department.  
  
1:57:52- Hwoarang returned fire to the two SUV's that were quickly gaining on them. He had no more ammo in the MP5, but he still had the shotgun from earlier. He continued to blast away, ducking when they fired at him.  
  
Jin hoped they would make it as he fishtailed through a busy intersection. At this point, not hitting another car was sheer luck.  
  
Hwoarang hit the trigger on the shotgun and it clicked.  
  
"Fucking." he screamed. He took the shotgun and threw it at the black's SUV's. He pulled out his USP and checked the clip. Twelve shots left. He popped out again from the sunroof and fired.  
  
1:59:57. 1:59:58. 1:59:59. 2:00:00. 


	4. 2:00 pm 3:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
Note: For some of you that have been to Japan, (unlike me) I'm going to try to incorporate some of Tokyo's actual streets and landmarks.  
  
The following takes place between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
2:00:00- Hwoarang went back into the car as it sped down the busy streets of Tokyo. He was pissed and out of ammo.  
  
Jin trying to lead the chase away from traffic, it wasn't helping. He had to get to Mishima HQ. Even though he hated Heihachi for his past sins, he had to admit, he did seem like an ally for the moment.  
  
Hwoarang took the cell phone and began punching in a number, when a bullet shattered the back windshield. He turned around to glance behind them, listening to the line on the other end ring. The two SUV's were directly behind them.  
  
"Satcom 7."  
  
"Central Japan, unsecured. Clearance code - 71229." Hwoarang said, another bullet zipping past his head and hitting the primary windshield.  
  
"Designated channel?"  
  
"UN Intellegence- Japan HQ."  
  
"Switching." The man on the other line said.  
  
"This is Wallace."  
  
"This is Maj. Hwoarang Doo San. Section 56 has been hit." Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin continued to amaze Hwoarang as the car continued to get showered with bullets and yet, he hadn't been hit. Jin turned right, down the Yasukuni- Dori.  
  
"What happened Major?" Wallace asked.  
  
"I was assigned to protect Jin Kazama. I was going through the paperwork went the building was hit by commandos. I was able to escape with Kazama, but as far as I know, we were the only ones left alive." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Where are you?" Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang saw the train station out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"We just passed Akihabara station."  
  
"How can I help?"  
  
"First off, we need these goddamned gunmen off our tail, and second we need some ammo and medical attention." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Ok. Where do you want us to be?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters. We can see the front gates now, we have possible reinforcements there."  
  
"Ok. I'll be there with supplies in ten." Wallace said, hanging up.  
  
Hwoarang got back in his seat and put on the belt, seeing as they would crash through the building gates in about twenty seconds.  
  
The guard at the gate saw the speeding BMW and stepped outside and put up his hand, motioning for it to slow down. No chance of that happening.  
  
The guard was lucky he got out of the way in time. The SUV's fired as they passed the gates and were heading into the parking lot behind the building. One bullet hit one of the front tires and that's when Jin lost control.  
  
The BMW skidded and crashed into a minivan at approximately 40 MPH.  
  
The black SUV's stopped and three men got out of one. They both went over to the vehicle. The windows were broken. They two men were unconscious, if not dead.  
  
2:09:12- Heihachi dispatched three teams to meet Jin at the gates, and take care of the men that were chasing him. But, the alarms in his office went off the second the gates buckled.  
  
Heihachi ran as fast as he possibly could to the other side of the building to Lee's office. He was on the phone when Heihachi burst in. He went to the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows behind Lee's desk.  
  
"Hold on a second, Phillip. Heihachi what the hell are you doing? I'm on the phone!" Lee said.  
  
Heihachi didn't listen. He looked down at the lot below. He watched three men exit a black SUV and walk towards the crashed car. They opened a door and an unconscious Hwoarang fell out onto the pavement. The other man went to the other side. He couldn't see Jin from this angle.  
  
The teams Heihachi assembled then ran out into the lot and immediately opened fire. The men from the second SUV came out and immediately were fired upon. The man on Jin's side of the car was the only one to get away. The teams took down everyone else.  
  
"What's going on?" Lee said, standing up to look out the window.  
  
"Jin called me. He said somebody was trying to kill him." Heihachi said.  
  
"My." Lee said, semi-flabbergasted.  
  
It was no surprise that somebody wanted Jin Kazama dead. Not only did he carry the most accessible way to get the infamous devil gene, but he probably pissed enough people off before. Lee didn't want Heihachi in his hair right now. He grabbed his jacket and left his office.  
  
Heihachi watched as Lee left, his eyes drifting across his computer as he tried to focus his attention back on the scene down below. But he couldn't focus now. The computer screen showed something he had to see.  
  
Lee's screen was showing checkbook records from the company's various Swiss bank accounts. The name that struck him as odd was the name of Nina Williams. Lee had paid her over $3.5 million dollars in two separate payments.  
  
It was at that moment, that Heihachi couldn't believe anything Lee said or did. He then went to back for his 2 o'clock.  
  
2:15:38- Hwoarang remembered the last thing he saw before he passed out. He remembered seeing the airbag hit him hard in the face. The hissing nose of the pressurizing air continued as he opened his eyes to see an oxygen mask being put on his face. His whole body hurt. The accident happened so fast.  
  
The oxygen was beginning to help him clear his head. He began to feel the trickle of blood run down his forehead. It was warm. He just now realized he was being carried on a stretcher. Probably to an infirmary somewhere within the building to recover. He wondered where Jin was.  
  
The medics wheeled the stretcher into the infirmary. A few moments later, Jin appeared next to him as well. He looked just as bad.  
  
He knew that Jin would be safe here if Heihachi had them brought in. Hwoarang then decided to pass out again.  
  
2:20:12- Heihachi walked into his office, and he noticed that his 2 o'clock was already waiting. He sat down at his desk and stared at his customer.  
  
"How can I help you?"  
  
It was Anna Williams, Nina's sister.  
  
"I came here to warn you. My sister has been hired to kill you." She said.  
  
"Really." He said, not surprised, seeing as he saw the proof in Lee's office.  
  
"Yes. She was hired by your CFO."  
  
"Lee." He said.  
  
"Yes." She said.  
  
"And by telling me this, you think you'll get something in return?"  
  
"I was hoping for a job." She said.  
  
"What kind of job?" He asked.  
  
"The professional kind, you know; the one that can snuff a person out indefinitely." She said.  
  
"A contract." He said, nodding his head.  
  
He was in a good position, maybe. Lee had paid given Nina two payments. What if this was the hit? The second payment very well could have covered Anna's half. And seeing as she was Nina's sister, he had to tread carefully.  
  
"Ok. Here's the deal. I will pay you your going rate. And I want you to kill your sister." Heihachi said.  
  
Heihachi put his hand under his desk for a split second, checking to make sure the gun was still loaded.  
  
Anna sat there, contemplating the offer.  
  
Across the street on a building rooftop, Nina took aim.  
  
2:28:54- Wallace arrived at Mishima Zaibatsu later than he expected. When Hwoarang called, he expected something small, but that wasn't what he got.  
  
The path of the chase wasn't extremely huge, but it was at a busy time of the day. Wallace looked down at the list in front of him. The accident report showed about forty fender-benders, two serious accidents, and two fatalities. Witnesses said the two black SUV's ran some people over in order to keep up with Hwoarang and Jin.  
  
He had already talked with the people at Mishima, but he didn't know the exact details. When he got inside the infirmary ward of the building, he found Hwoarang being wheeled out in a wheelchair. He went up to him.  
  
"You ok, Doo San?" he asked.  
  
"Who are you?" Hwoarang said, sounding a little groggy.  
  
"Al Wallace." He said, offering to shake hands.  
  
Hwoarang didn't bother.  
  
"You're an American." Hwoarang said, the orderly setting the chair up next to a couch. Wallace sat down next to him.  
  
"How'd you figure?" Wallace asked.  
  
"A. The name gives you away. B. The accent." Hwoarang laughed.  
  
Wallace had heard both of them before.  
  
"What's the damage report on the two of you?"  
  
"Well, I've got a minor concussion and had one hell of a cut on my head, along with a nice bloody nose. Jin, I think they said something about a fractured collarbone." Hwoarang said, noticing blood beginning to drip from his nose again.  
  
Hwoarang stood up and walked to the nearby Nurse's station and took the box of tissues from the counter. He sat back down next to Wallace, keeping his head up.  
  
Wallace looked down the hall to see Jin Kazama in a gown being taking somewhere in a wheelchair.  
  
Hwoarang saw this out of the corner of his eye. He laughed out loud.  
  
Jin heard it.  
  
"You better shut up out there! Ow." He yelled. The yelp of pain was what finally quieted him down.  
  
Hwoarang continued to chuckle. "Do you have any idea who might want him dead?" Wallace asked.  
  
"No, I don't." Hwoarang said, still amused by the thought of Kazama in a gown.  
  
"Well, the little chase through downtown caused enough havoc already. Just so you know; I was the one to assign you to the case." Wallace said.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. It was supposed to be a simple babysitting job. You would have stayed at the courthouse, and when it was over, you were going to be given a second chance. But then this happened."  
  
"Ha. Kind of funny ain't it?" Hwoarang said, taking the Kleenex from his nose, checking for blood flow.  
  
"A real riot." Wallace said, pausing.  
  
Hwoarang sensed his hesitation.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"You rank still stands. You're a Major now. But this case was more than I expected it to be. You can hand it off to somebody else if you want. You never asked for this." Wallace said.  
  
"Are you kidding? I live for this shit." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Good. Then there's something else you need to know. Julia Chang is dead." Wallace said.  
  
"What? When?"  
  
"We think about an hour ago. Her body was found stuffed in a stall in a restroom at her lab. She was shot in the head." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang sighed. This was big. No wonder they could get to Jin so easily. If they could hide Julia in a bathroom for a good hour, then there's no telling what these people could do. He wanted to take Jin into a safe, lock the door, and throw away the key.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Watch him. You can move him, if you want. But don't move him too much. You never know where an assassin could be." Wallace said.  
  
"Got ya." Hwoarang said. The doctor came out of the x-ray room, as did Jin, in fresh clothes. Hwoarang was exactly happy with that. He was still wearing the same dark green t-shirt and jeans.  
  
"Doctor? What's the report?" Wallace said.  
  
"Well, he has a bruised collarbone. We were afraid it was broken at first, but the x-ray's put our fears to rest." The doctor said.  
  
"That's good. It must be different, working in a corporate building?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Hey, as long as I get paid. But, Mr. Kazama is free to go." The doctor said.  
  
2:40:37- Heihachi was glad. Anna had taken the offer and left for now. He had just gotten of the phone with the doctors downstairs, who told him Jin and Hwoarang were banged up a little, but fine overall. He got up to go to the bathroom.  
  
2:42:01- Nina continued to sit across the street, waiting for the right moment. Through her scope she saw Heihachi sit back down in his chair. She steadied her aim, and fired. The shot hit him square in the head. Heihachi's body fell onto the table, not moving. She took out her cell phone and dialed.  
  
"Yes?" a man's voice said.  
  
"The matter's been taken care of." She said, hanging up.  
  
2:44:23- Hwoarang was wondering where Wallace had walked off to. But he saw him down the hall, carrying back a small metal briefcase. He set it down on the sofa next to Hwoarang.  
  
"Here's the supplies I promised." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang opened up the case to find a Walther P99 handgun, and four clips of ammo. Inside was also a new cell phone.  
  
"The cell phone has a tracking chip in it. If you're in trouble, call us, and we know where to find you." Wallace said.  
  
"Good. What about transportation?" Hwoarang said.  
  
Wallace dangled a set of keys in front of him. Hwoarang snatched them.  
  
"It's for a 2003 GMC Yukon XL outside. Full tank of gas and a weapons cache is also in the back." Wallace said.  
  
"Even better." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Here's the address of the safehouse you should go to. I'll call you if I come across any leads." Wallace said, his cell phone ringing.  
  
Wallace got up and watched Hwoarang move off somewhere.  
  
"Wallace." "Agent Wallace, this is Terry Branch over at the UN. I'm the autopsy specialist here." The man said.  
  
"What's up?" Wallace said.  
  
"Well, that's just the thing. We're not sure. The body you brought in. Julia Chang?"  
  
"Yeah?" Wallace said.  
  
"Her ID states that she's 157 pounds. The truth is, she's got to be at least 500-600 pounds. We're struggling to get the corpse on the table." Branch said.  
  
"How is that possible?" Wallace asked, completely baffled.  
  
"I don't know until I start the autopsy. But I'll start here in about five minutes. I'm just very curious." Branch said.  
  
"Yeah, me too. Call me the second you find something." Wallace said, hanging up.  
  
2:57:32- Lee was in the boardroom with the other fifteen members of the board. Nina had told him it was done. Heihachi was dead. He only had to wait for somebody to find the body, and then he owned the company. If only life were that simple.  
  
But then the impossible happened. Heihachi walked into the room, bowing to the various members.  
  
Lee couldn't believe it.  
  
2:58:59- Terry Branch was beginning to cut open the corpse of Julia Chang. His gloved hands touched the body, it was cold.  
  
He took the scalpel and began to cut at the chest area. The scalpel didn't go far, in fact, it made a horrible scratching noise. He pulled the scalpel away. Under the small amounts of coagulated blood, there was metal.  
  
He took his hand and knocked on the body's head. It dinged, meaning it wasn't hollow. Branch began to cut off a portion of her face.  
  
When he was done, he fainted.  
  
Underneath her face, was a Combot.  
  
2:59:57. 2:59:58. 2:59:59. 3:00:00. 


	5. 3:00 pm 4:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
OOC Note: Went to the Linkin Park concert in Chicago. Awesome show!  
  
The following takes place between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
3:00:00- Hwoarang began driving towards the safehouse. He didn't know how to tell Jin about Julia. He figured the two were close. He was her fiancé after all. There wasn't ever going to be an easy way to say it.  
  
"I found out something. You might take this a little hard." He said.  
  
"Julia's dead, isn't she?" Jin said.  
  
The statement seemed a little cold at first, but it seemed not only obvious, but eventual. If they couldn't get to him, go for the next person who knew a lot about the gene.  
  
Jin was now out of touch. He looked at the road ahead with a blank stare, which wasn't new when something bothered him. There's was no emotion, no telling what type of anger, sadness, despair, or hatred was in his eyes. Probably all of them.  
  
Hwoarang knew where the safehouse was, but didn't know what to do once he got there.  
  
Hwoarang's phone rang.  
  
"Doo San." He said.  
  
"Hey."  
  
It was Wallace.  
  
"What's up?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I just got a call from Terry Branch. He's a coroner we got working on Julia Chang. We just found something."  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"The body isn't Julia Chang."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"It seems there's some kind of robot underneath. But it sounds like some kind of double to me." Wallace said.  
  
"Robot?" Hwoarang said, looking over at Jin.  
  
Jin became curious. Still brooding, he looked over at Hwoarang.  
  
"Yeah. It's strange. I was wondering if you two could go over there to check it out." Wallace said.  
  
"I thought you wanted us to go to the safehouse and baby-sit." Hwoarang said, not happy with running errands.  
  
"I could throw you in jail. But right now, for all we know, the assassin's think Kazama's still at Mishima. He's not in immediate danger." Wallace said.  
  
"Fine. Where is this place?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"The GPS system. I'll upload the address." Wallace said.  
  
On the console, the little system dinged. A female voice could be heard in the car.  
  
"Turn left in two blocks."  
  
"Good. It's working." Wallace said.  
  
"It speaks English too." Hwoarang said.  
  
For the first time in about five minutes, Jin chuckled.  
  
3:06:12- Lee didn't understand it. How could Heihachi be alive? Nina shot him in the head!  
  
Heihachi stood on the other side of the room, preparing to bare his soul to the board.  
  
"What I plan to do, is to use Combot as not only a revolutionary step in fighting technology, but as a step forward in making the first successful walking and talking cyborg.  
  
Lee had had enough now. This was now out of control way, going way to fast for coherent thought.  
  
The board was beginning to love whatever he said, like they always did. He had to leave before he vomited. Everything was going south. Heihachi should be dead, but for the biggest motherfucking reason, he wasn't.  
  
"If you'll excuse me. I have something to attend to." Lee said, the whole board looking at Heihachi like little kids listening to a story.  
  
Lee left the boardroom, moving into his office. He reached into the refrigerator that was built into his desk and pulled out a bottle of water. He began to gulp it down, sweating profusely. God, he was nervous. Heihachi wasn't dead, and his plans to take over the company had failed. Maybe there wasn't such a thing as a perfect plan after all.  
  
He stood up and began pacing, wondering what he was going to do next. He couldn't think. His mind was drawing a blank. Brain farts really did suck. He gulped down more water. He turned around and started going back down the straight line he just walked.  
  
He thought he heard more footsteps besides his own in the office. Either that or maybe he was hallucinating. He continued pacing, and then turned around again.  
  
This time his suspicions were right. A fist came right into his face.  
  
3:12:10- Nina had completed her job. She had already left the rooftop and the building itself. The rifle in the case she held was of a unique design. She had killed the man who made it. She still carried the case as she walked down the street. But it wasn't just some normal case. It would be too suspicious. She chose a cello case. She'd seen it done in some old spy movie. It was pretty slick. With the right outfit, she'd blend in nicely.  
  
The street was crowded with afternoon traffic. Shoppers, people just walking, joggers, etc. She was just one of many.  
  
Up ahead at an intersection, a crowd began to cross to Nina's side of the sidewalk. Nina continued forward, not paying too much attention.  
  
At the right time, the crowd collided with Nina's. A woman next to Nina pulled out a gun and fired immediately. Nina ducked as soon as she heard the shot. The bullet continued hitting a teenager in the chest. The unknown assassin continued to fire, not caring who she hit. Nina ran and the assassin followed.  
  
Nina took a look back at her assailant, she knew who it was. It was her sister, Anna. She had found out about her in files from Mishima Zaibatsu. When she was in cryosleep, she forgot all about her, but she had done some research when she found about she had a sister. It was a bit weird, realizing she didn't remember having any relationship whatsoever with her.  
  
Nina ducked behind a tree and pulled out her rifle. Having a shootout in broad daylight in downtown Tokyo should be interesting.  
  
3:20:04- Hwoarang pulled into a clinic. It was fairly small for such an important matter. Security must be small. He put the transmission into park and got out. Jin followed.  
  
The two walked into the clinic and were taken aback when they noticed that there was nobody in the lobby, if you could call it that. This obviously wasn't a normal doctor's office. It seemed like an office building. Cubicles were lined up in aisles from the front door towards the back of the room, about 100 little working quarters in all.  
  
They walked into the back room where they heard some noise.  
  
Upon entering, they could see that they were in the morgue. Rows of lockers lined the walls. They were for holding the bodies, no doubt. In the center of the room, they saw Terry Branch working on Julia.  
  
"Julia?" Jin said, moving forward.  
  
Hwoarang stepped in.  
  
"Hold it there, pal. You should know that that's not her. It's some kind of a robot." Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin pushed him aside with ease. Hwoarang followed him. Upon looking at the body, they saw that it was a Combot. Having fought one a year ago brought back memories. Hwoarang noticed its features and declared it was inactive. The body of the robot was still covered in Julia's skin.  
  
Hwoarang left, leaving Jin to himself, and the doctor to his work. He took out his phone, calling Mishima Zaibatsu.  
  
"Mishima Zaibatsu, Mr. Mishima's office." The woman said.  
  
It was his secretary.  
  
"I need to speak to Heihachi." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Who is this?" she asked.  
  
"This is a friend of his grandson. Hwoarang Doo San. It's an emergency." He said.  
  
"I'm afraid he's in a meeting right now." She said.  
  
"I don't give a fuck if he's on Mars, put him on the phone!" he said, aggravated.  
  
"He's in a meeting with his board of directors and can't be interrupted!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Lady, if you don't put him on the line right now, you'll be speaking to the board of directors!" he yelled.  
  
The line clicked, and Hwoarang thought she hung up, but a few seconds later Heihachi came on.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Heihachi, you son of a bitch." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Who is this?" Heihachi said.  
  
"Hwoarang Doo San. I'm protecting Jin." He said.  
  
"Oh. Why are you so distressed?" Heihachi asked, seeming concerned.  
  
"Cut the crap, what are you up to?" Hwoarang said, feeling like he could break something.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"The Combot you replaced Julia Chang with."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know what I'm talking about. Your company is the only with the design and right now, I'm looking at the corpse of Julia Chang, but it seems that her fucking insides were replaced with a Combot!" Hwoarang said, hitting the wall with enough force to crack it.  
  
"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about and I'm busy right now."  
  
Heihachi hung up.  
  
"Goddammit!" Hwoarang screamed.  
  
3:32:39- Nina was running down a street, unable to find out where her sister had gone to. This was becoming a problem. Nina had tried to find a way out of this for the past twelve blocks, and Anna had found her. Not to mention the police were getting involved now.  
  
Nina ran out into the street and in front of an oncoming car. She fired one shot from her rifle into the air. The driver got out and she went in, peeling out, and ducking her head from the incoming shots from Anna.  
  
It was the best thing she could do. She had to get away from Anna and the heat.  
  
3:37:42- Wallace walked through the door to his office at the UN. His phone was ringing as he walked in and he was throw the coffee and food from McDonalds onto the desk, hoping the caller wouldn't hang up. He grabbed the phone off his belt at the same time as the food landed on the desk, fries going everywhere. "Dammit!" Wallace said, right into the phone.  
  
"Hello?" Hwoarang said on the other end.  
  
"Hwoarang. No, sorry. My lunch just fell all over the floor." Wallace said.  
  
"A little late for lunch isn't it?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Not for me it isn't. Haven't eaten all day." Wallace said, trying to pick up the fries, throwing them in the trash.  
  
"You and me both. Look, I think I may have an idea of who's behind the robot ordeal; maybe the person who's trying to kill Jin as well." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Who?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Heihachi Mishima." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Whoa. That doesn't make much sense though. He could have killed Jin back at his building." Wallace said.  
  
"Not really. He'd try to keep his name away from this. He's almost certainly hired a hit man. Thus the men that chased us. They either worked for the hit man or were his Tekken Force. You wouldn't be able to directly tie either of them to Mishima." Hwoarang explained.  
  
"I see. What about the robot? How does he tie in with that?" Wallace asked, unwrapping his double cheeseburger.  
  
"Lee Chaolan introduced a cyborg called 'Combot' back at the fourth King of Iron Fist. Afterwards, he must have struck a deal or friendship with Heihachi. Which seems odd." Hwoarang said.  
  
"If Lee made this machine, it could have been him." Wallace said.  
  
"I doubt it. Heihachi has always wanted Jin for some reason or another. Lee seems like the bitch in this relationship. Heihachi is the head of the company; he would have access to everything." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Well, I'll keep tabs on both of them." Wallace said.  
  
"Good. Be careful about it. Heihachi is pretty ruthless." Hwoarang warned.  
  
"I will." Wallace said, hanging up so he could eat.  
  
3:43:12- Heihachi stood at the door to his office. His ploy worked. He was afraid Lee found out about his little project, but seeing his Combot double lying in a pool of blood at his desk proved otherwise.  
  
The phone call from Hwoarang was troublesome. His suspicious were dead on, and Heihachi didn't think his lying helped the matter.  
  
He walked over to the desk and picked up the phone, glancing at his dead self. He dialed a number and after a few rings, somebody picked up.  
  
"Yes?" Anna's voice filled the receiver.  
  
"I have another job for you." He said.  
  
"Along with my sister?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. Do remember the young red-headed hotshot named Hwoarang? You fought him at the third tournament." Heihachi said.  
  
"How could I forget?" she said, sounding seductive towards his mention.  
  
"I need you to kill him." He said.  
  
"Payment on delivery?" she asked.  
  
"You got it." He said.  
  
"It'll be done." She said, hanging up.  
  
3:48:07- Hwoarang walked back into the morgue. Jin stood listening to Branch explain the art of the autopsy. Hwoarang thought human anatomy was basic. A man doesn't have breasts, but had a dick. A woman had breasts, but no dick. Simple really.  
  
Jin paid attention. He found this kind of interesting. Back in high school, he never was into his schoolwork. You read a book and answered questions. He was more of a hands-on type of guy. This was his style. Instead of learning about the body from a textbook, he would work out and find out about muscles he never knew existed. Now he was learning about skin and how to use a scalpel from an actual coroner.  
  
"Jin! We're outta here." Hwoarang said, beginning to walk back to the car.  
  
Jin apologized for leaving abruptly and left the man to his work.  
  
Hwoarang was opening the door to the SUV. Jin was wondering what the reason for the rush was.  
  
"What gives?" Jin asked.  
  
"Get in, I'll explain." Hwoarang said, getting in.  
  
Jin got in and watched Hwoarang start the car and begin to pull out.  
  
"You gonna tell me what's going on?" Jin asked.  
  
"I think you're grandfather is behind this."  
  
"Wouldn't surprise me. You know what he did at the fourth tournament?" Jin asked.  
  
"Yeah, which is why I'm getting out of here. We need to keep you protected. He sends his hordes of Tekken Force at us; we'd probably last ten minutes. They'd just keep coming." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang's phone rang.  
  
"Doo San." He said.  
  
"This is Julia Chang." A woman's voice said.  
  
"It can't be." Hwoarang said.  
  
"It is. I'm in trouble. Somebody shot me with some sort of tranquilizer. I have no clue where I am." She said.  
  
"How did you get this number?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I called the UN. I asked for Jin Kazama, my fiancée, and they put me through to you, I guess." She said.  
  
Her voice was shaking, she sounded scared. She was quiet, too.  
  
"Look. Stay on the line for a second, Julia. You'll be okay." Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin hadn't been paying too much attention, but that changed when he heard her name.  
  
Hwoarang put the phone down and looked at the console. He pulled the car over to the side of the road. He hit a button, and instead of a CD player, a small plasma monitor came out. A menu came up on the screen, displaying various options and help menus. He hit one option, and another menu came up. It displayed various options to do with a phone. He hit the option, "Trace a call", and then typed in his access number. The monitor showed that it was tracing the call. It then displayed the address for a mall that lied on the outskirts of the city. Hwoarang went back to the phone.  
  
"Okay, Julia?" he asked.  
  
"Yes." She said.  
  
"We've got your location. We'll be there ASAP." He said, trying to sound reassuring.  
  
"Please hurry. I think somebody's coming." She said.  
  
The line disconnected. Hwoarang hung the phone up. He pulled back onto the road.  
  
"Who was that?" Jin asked.  
  
"Your fiancée might not be dead after all." Hwoarang said.  
  
3:57:55- Lee woke up. His vision was clear. He looked around as if he woke form a bad dream.  
  
He was strapped to a table inside a white room. On the far west wall, a pane of mirrored glass showed his reflection.  
  
He heard a door open behind him. He could turn around to see it. A single pair of footsteps came alongside him, and then moved forward into view.  
  
A man dressed in a long black trench coat, boots, and sunglasses walked along, backed turned.  
  
"Who are you?" Lee asked.  
  
"You know who I am, Chaolan." A familiar voice said.  
  
The fear hit him. He began trying to get out, struggling. It was no good. He was in tight.  
  
"No! No! Somebody help!" Lee screamed.  
  
The man turned around. It was Kazuya. He smiled, showing off a nice pair of fangs. He then turned off his jacket and revealed a pair of wings. He moved towards Lee.  
  
3:59:57. 3:59:58. 3:59:59. 4:00:00. 


	6. 4:00 pm 5:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
4:00:00- Hwoarang's SUV raced down the road. The streets were becoming more crowded as the evening began. Nighttime traffic could be hazardous in Tokyo. Subways shut down, as do busses. But the people are still out and about, with nothing but taxis to usually do the duty in the public transportation department.  
  
Hwoarang loved to speed. The thrill of weaving in and out of traffic was amazing. He loved the rush of adrenaline, especially in a fight. Nothing beat the rush of hand-to-hand combat, but every once in a while, they was a shortcut to the rush. Today, he was getting that rush at least a half dozen times so far.  
  
Jin didn't like that rush, however. He was more of a man who likes to stay in the background, calm and collective. Right now, his knuckles were white as he clucked the seat.  
  
The phone on the dash rang. Hwoarang didn't pay too much attention to it, trying to get to the mall before anything happened to Julia, whose whereabouts over the past three hours were questionable.  
  
Hwoarang heard from Wallace that there was blood on the bathroom door. There was a shell casing on the floor from whoever shot her. If it was a head shot, she should be dead. But the Combot back at the morgue proved otherwise.  
  
Jin carefully reached over to the phone, turning it on. Hwoarang was waiting for Jin to do something.  
  
"Yeah?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Hwoarang, its Wallace." He said.  
  
"I was about to call." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Well, we had Branch run a quick diagnostics test on the robot." He said.  
  
"Already? We left there like five minutes ago." Hwoarang said.  
  
"As I said, quick. He found out that the robot had never been activated up until about six hours ago." Wallace said.  
  
"And what does that mean?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I don't know, but he said it was in some sort of dormant mode. I imagine it's waiting for an incoming signal before it does anything." Wallace said.  
  
"That doesn't sound good."  
  
"I agree. We're bringing the robot here to the HQ. We'll keep it locked up and under surveillance." Wallace said.  
  
"Good. You should know we got a call from Julia Chang." Hwoarang said.  
  
"My god. Did she say what happened?"  
  
"No. She was scared. Sounded like she was being watched, but she somehow managed to get to a phone. I tracked it down to the Takagagi Mall near the edge of the city, we're headed there now." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I'll get a team over there for backup." Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah, I'd appreciate that." Hwoarang said, hanging up.  
  
4:05:46- Heihachi was at his desk when a side panel on the wall opened, and in walked Kazuya.  
  
Kazuya had to have been busy. He looked like a vampire. There was blood all over his mouth and chin. He took the towel he had in his hand and wiped himself off.  
  
"I trust the matter has been taken care of." Heihachi said.  
  
"Yes. It has. What about her?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"Don't worry about her. I have her waiting at a local mall. You were right. She was the perfect bait." Heihachi said.  
  
"I told you she was. What about the trackers?"  
  
"It's working perfectly. Hwoarang is about twenty minutes away with traffic. I've got somebody waiting there for them." Heihachi said.  
  
"Anna?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"Yes. She'll be waiting for them. I told her a minute ago the plan. We want Jin unharmed. Deal with Hwoarang and make sure he never leaves. For the amount of money she's getting, she should be able to do it." Heihachi said, getting up from his desk and going to the door. Kazuya turned to face him.  
  
"What now?" he asked.  
  
"I have a tour of the new labs in about an hour. I must get ready. The new models should be finished." Heihachi said.  
  
"Does anybody know about me?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"Nobody but you and me now." Heihachi said, walking out of the office.  
  
4:11:55- Wallace walked back to his office to hear his computer beeping. Yes! He was in. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it looks like it did.  
  
He hit a few keys and a box popped up, showing various security camera images. The images were being produced from inside the Mishima Zaibatsu building.  
  
Wallace was afraid of doing this, but some of him loved this stuff. He knew how ruthless the Zaibatsu was, and what could happen to him if they knew he was doing this. It didn't matter who he worked for. He would be a dead man if they found this.  
  
He had implanted a worm in their computer system. It was pretty ingenious.  
  
He stared at the images and scrolled through many of them. At least half were of normal offices and other parts of the building. Wallace was looking for the executive offices. Then he found them. He clicked on the first one he found.  
  
The image was supposed to be of Lee Chaolan's office, but it was nothing but static. He rewound it back an hour and finally got an image of the office, only to see something move across the screen and then the image went to static. He rewound and played, this time in slow motion. He was able to see a gloved hand covered in flame destroy the camera.  
  
He moved to the next image in the list. Heihachi's office was twice the size of Lee's and had two cameras, meaning two images. One came from the doorway to his private dojo and the other was set above the main door to the office. The images were still recording. He rewound to the last five minutes, skimming through the minutes Heihachi was spending at his desk. Then he saw the wall open. He didn't recognize the man at first, but then after he wiped the blood off his mouth, he recognized him.  
  
"Gotcha." He said.  
  
4:20:05- Nina Williams didn't know what to do with her. She was becoming troublesome. She fought Julia at the third tournament, and she was good. But who knew that some good fighters were really annoying little bitches.  
  
Back at the labs, she shot her with a penetrating tranquilizer shot. But she didn't think the close rang would cause the blood to splatter on the door. The dart was made to drill into the skin and implant itself within the target's body. But somehow it must have malfunctioned, causing it to drill in her body, as well as out from the other side. She passed out thankfully, but the tranquilizer never stayed in. And because of that, she had to hear this.  
  
She was worried. Lee should have called by now with instructions. Something wasn't right. She took out her phone and called his cell phone once more. After three rings, the machine picked up. Nothing.  
  
It was useless. Maybe he was waiting for the right time to answer? No, that was a stupid thought. But just in case he was still breathing, she needed to kill Jin Kazama, like he paid for. Well, dead or alive, Lee was going to get his wish.  
  
Right now, she was at Takagagi Mall in a storage room. It was her temporary hideout, away from Anna and Heihachi's men. She had brought Julia here earlier. She was safe from being discovered. She had the room booby-trapped with mines above the door. The password was a set of whistles that Nina herself had programmed. If anybody came in and didn't whistle the tune in three seconds, it would blow. It would have been impossible for Julia to escape with anybody; she was handcuffed to a pipe in the wall for extra protection.  
  
Julia began to cry, seeing as she couldn't get out and Nina was beginning to leave the room. Nina walked over to her and punched her in the face, knocking her out. At least that shut her up for a while.  
  
4:26:31- Hwoarang was about five minutes away from the mall when his phone rang again. It was Wallace.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
"I found something." Wallace said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Remember when you told me to keep an eye on Heihachi?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yeah?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Well, I put a worm in their computer system."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"A put a worm in their system. And it worked!" Wallace said.  
  
"My god. Do you know what'll happen if they find that?" Hwoarang said, almost yelling into the phone.  
  
"I'd worry about what I found. Guess who Heihachi has working for him?" Wallace said.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Kazuya Mishima."  
  
"Jesus fucking Christ." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I know. I don't know what they were up to. But Kazuya had a bunch of blood on his mouth when he popped into the image."  
  
"Okay. Keep searching and be careful. You find anything, tell me." Hwaorang said.  
  
"I'm already on it." Wallace said, hanging up.  
  
Hwoarang turned to Jin, who looked like he was beginning to fall asleep.  
  
"Jin!" he yelled.  
  
Jin woke up. He wasn't startled at all.  
  
"What?" Jin asked.  
  
"You said you're father came back after coming into contact with the virus, where did he go when he came back?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"He moved to the mountains, saying he needed to meditate in order to fight the virus." Jin said.  
  
"That's the worst bullshit lie I've ever heard." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Really?" Jin said.  
  
"When was the last time Kazuya was known to meditate? He'd rather beat the crap out of you or Heihachi to fight a cold." Hwoarang replied.  
  
"Never thought about it that way." Jin said.  
  
"Figures."  
  
Hwoarang pulled into the garage of the mall, the teams up ahead, gearing up.  
  
4:32:17- Anna thought Heihachi was a fucking genius. When Hwoarang and Jin crashed earlier, Heihachi had his doctor implant tracking devices into their skin. They wouldn't even notice, and neither would anyone else.  
  
She was near the Takagagi Mall, and she knew what she had to do. Killing Hwoarang would be easy enough. Getting away from his backup or from Jin Kazama would be the tough part. After her first shot fired, she would be revealed. She knew her escape routes, and nobody would stop her from using them.  
  
Coming into the back of the lot, she looked across the street at the parking deck. She could see Hwoarang and thought that maybe she could take him here.  
  
But then she saw that he had backup, and plenty of it. There were two teams of four each. If she killed him now, and tried to drive away, the two teams would be in pursuit of her like a cop chases a bank robber.  
  
She would have to take this inside. She got into the trunk of her car and loaded a 9mm pistol. She also took two throwing knives in case she really needed to sneak around, and hey, she just might be able to use them on the target. That would be fun.  
  
She strapped the 9mm onto her ankle, the knives up her sleeves. She went back into the trunk for her main weapon, a bolt-action rifle with a scope. Heihachi had provided the weapons and the car, and she didn't care. As long as she had the weapons and the means of escape, she was happy. She checked the scope of the gun, and when she was happy with its magnification, she put it back. Loading one shot into the chamber, she pulled back the bolt, and hit forward. She was cocked, locked, and ready to rock.  
  
4:37:49- Hwoarang walked up to the men in uniform, who looked more like a SWAT team than a high-tech military Delta team.  
  
He went up to the primary man, the name "Henderson" was on his chest.  
  
"What did the satellite get?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I did a search of the structure myself and we found two red flags. The first one is on the second floor on our side of the mall; the second is in a maintenance closet towards the center on the first floor." Henderson said.  
  
"We check them both. Let's get this thing going!" Hwoarang said.  
  
The men all followed Hwoarang and Jin into the mall. Hwoarang held the device that Henderson showed him.  
  
Hwoarang pointed the teams off toward the maintenance closet, while he and Jin would take the other one, which was inside a "Bath and Body Works" store that was directly in front of them. Jin walked on in, not convinced that Julia would be held in such a nice store. She would be here, but she'd be shopping, spending all of Jin's money.  
  
Hwoarang came in behind him, not convinced, but not about to move on either. Must to the dislikes of the employees, Hwoarang moved into the back rooms of the store, just to prove that he had power.  
  
4:43:38- Heihachi arrived at the labs. He was excited. He couldn't wait to see how many of them there were. His security force motioned him towards the elevators.  
  
After a long ride down, Heihachi walked down a couple long halls, before reaching a conference room. Inside, a couple scientists sat at the table, working on computers.  
  
"What have we got?" he said.  
  
"Well, you'll be impressed, Mr. Mishima." A scientist said.  
  
Heihachi was already impressed with how fast they wanted to show him their work. He was not only impressed, but very anxious.  
  
"Will I?" he said, trying to play it cool.  
  
"We've processed one million units as of today. The last few are coming off the assembly line now." Another scientist said.  
  
"One million? My goodness." Heihachi said.  
  
The scientists were waiting for the reaction that would probably set them up with money for the rest of their time.  
  
Heihachi smiled.  
  
"Show me."  
  
A scientist hit a button, and the black shutters around the room disappeared, showing the showroom floor.  
  
It was a huge factory at least five football fields wide, and about the same lengthwise. On the floor were one million Combots.  
  
4:53:09- Henderson's team had come up to the door and noticed the booby trapped mine. They began to work on it.  
  
4:54:00- Hwoarang began walking down the corridor on the second floor of the mall, trying to get to an escalator so he and Jin could check on the other location with Henderson and his men. Hwoarang knew something was up, he could tell. Two possible places in one huge mall. For all he knew, Julia could be bait. It was the best possible scenario. Even if she was here, this was the perfect place to make a hit. After a first shot fired, the crowds would run amok, and he would never get a shot off at the attacker.  
  
Jin walked behind him. He was just following Hwoarang, hoping that Julia would be saved. After one year, she meant so much to him. If she died, he wouldn't know what to do. It would be like him losing his mother, Jun, all over again.  
  
But he had no idea what was about to happen. Daydreaming really can get you killed. He didn't notice the blond woman walking right at him and Hwoarang, pulling out an Uzi. Hwoarang had ducked out of the way in time, but Jin had frozen. The multiple shots from the gun had hit him in the chest three times and once in the neck. He fell to the ground, struggling to breathe as the blood rushed into his mouth.  
  
Hwoarang sprang into action as Nina jumped off the balcony behind her. Hwoarang looked off the balcony and saw that she landed on a small kiosk. Hwoarang made the same jump, landing the same way as she did.  
  
Nina was running for the front doors, and she knew it was clear. She hit the double doors with extreme force, causing the people trying to open the doors to fly back onto the floor.  
  
Anna stood at the same balcony Hwoarang had jumped off of and aimed her rifle. People were running everywhere at this point, but she had a clear shot of his head.  
  
Nina was gone, but Hwoarang was about to give up on that.  
  
Anna began to squeeze the trigger as an explosion came from underneath her. She fired, knowing it was off. But, the bullet still hit its target.  
  
Hwoarang flew backwards, the bullet hitting him.  
  
4:59:57. 4:59:58. 4:59:59. 5:00:00.  
  
Author's note: The story is beginning to change, and it's also becoming harder to write. I was becoming used to pumping out a chapter a day, but now it might be a few days or so between chapters. But I do plan on taking this all the way. A full 24 chapters, baby. I've still got some killer twists coming up, but this was a good enough cliffhanger for now. I don't want to spoil anything! BTW, if you want an interesting soundtrack to go with this, I would have to say anything by Linkin Park. They rule! 


	7. 5:00 pm 6:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
5:00:00- Hwoarang fell onto the hard flooring of the mall. A sharp pain had struck his shoulder. He had been shot.  
  
He rolled over. He wasn't screaming, but the pain was intense. He reached over to his back and felt another hole. It was the exit wound. The bullet had gone through and through. He was thankful for that. Bone damage might be at a minimum that way. But he had to get a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Even after ten seconds, his shirt was soaked with blood at the right shoulder.  
  
He got up and ran upstairs, holding his arm. He wondered if Jin was dead. He approached the unmoving body and noticed the blood. He probably bled to death. Hwoarang saw the neck wound. God, it was bad. It probably cut through his throat and through the other side of his neck. The others had gone into his chest and abdomen. He was dead, no doubt.  
  
Hwoarang left his body and went back to the site of the explosion. He was surprised to see the whole team and Julia were still alive. He didn't even think about what Julia's reaction would be when she found out Jin was dead.  
  
Hwoarang struggled with his left arm, trying to get his phone out of his right pocket. He dialed up Wallace.  
  
"Dammit Wallace, pick up." Hwoarang cursed.  
  
After about three rings, somebody picked up.  
  
"Wallace here." He said.  
  
"It's me. Julia's alive, but they got to Jin. He's dead." Hwoarang said.  
  
The sting in his shoulder finally started to burn as the adrenaline began to remove itself from his bloodstream.  
  
"What happened?" Wallace said.  
  
"This was a trap. Nina Williams was here. She had Julia in some sort of closet. Nina ambushed Jin and me, and he didn't get out the way in time. He bled out all over the place. But somebody shot me with a rifle. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Nina's sister, Anna." Hwoarang said. Hwoarang took a seat, taking a bandana out of his left back pocket. With the phone up to his ear, he tried to close the wound in his shoulder. It was tricky and becoming unsuccessful. He had to get off the phone. The blood was beginning to drip onto his arm.  
  
"I'm coming over there." Wallace said.  
  
"Good." Hwoarang said.  
  
He looked over at the Henderson's teams. One was a medic and fixing up the minor injuries the team must have had.  
  
Hwoarang stood up, woozy and becoming short of breath. He stumbled over to the medic, who quickly cut off his shirt and began bandaging up the wound.  
  
The medic carried Hwoarang out to an ambulance, which was waiting due to the chaos inside. Hwoarang couldn't think about much anymore, he had lost a good amount of blood in less than ten minutes.  
  
The medic set Hwoarang down onto the concrete as he got a machine inside the ambulance ready.  
  
The next thing Hwoarang remembered was feeling the prick of a needle in his arm, followed by the shiver of chilled blood being pumped into his veins.  
  
5:10:14- Heihachi was on the factory floor, getting the rundown on the Combots. One of his top scientists, Liu Pang Ho, was one person who had enough inner monologues to fill three people for the rest of their lives.  
  
He detested this job. He originally worked as a biochemist in this lab until one year ago, when Heihachi secretly bought the place and turned it into a microbiology and robotics lab. It was only two months ago when he found out about the project. And finally, only one week ago did he see the result. Tonight was the last straw.  
  
What they were doing was unethical. If it was one bot or fifteen bots, he wouldn't have said anything. But one million? That was way too far over the line. In fact, the line may as well never have existed. When he saw the numbers, he thought it was bullshit. But then they showed him the result, and the first idea that hit him was one only a science fiction fan would think of: World domination.  
  
He sat in the office, telling Heihachi's tour group that he wasn't feeling good. A lie that they bought, but Heihachi didn't. The boss himself gave Liu a dirty look as he headed out to the floor.  
  
Liu had two options: 1. He could ignore the feelings for resistance he had felt and ignored his whole life, or 2. Take the necessary steps to make sure this "army" wasn't used inappropriately. The struggle was taking place inside him, hesitating for at least ten seconds now.  
  
If he decided to work against Heihachi, what could he do? There's no way he could just go to a phone and call the police. There wasn't some stupid "self-destruct" button.  
  
Then it hit him. He needed leverage and he knew where to get it. He got up and went to the computer room below the conference room.  
  
5:16:33- Anna had escaped. She made it back to her car across the street from the lot that now was home to a dozen police cars and emergency vehicles.  
  
She had a small laptop computer on her lap. She was tracing the signal coming from Hwoarang's tracker, which was imbedded in his left arm.  
  
She glanced across the street and saw him sitting there on a stretcher, having a small blood transfusion in the back of an ambulance, while the medic was checking his vital signs.  
  
Her phone rang.  
  
"Yes?" she said.  
  
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Nina said.  
  
"I'm your sister. That's who the fuck I think I am." She said.  
  
"Very cute, bitch. Listen up. You almost got me killed. Now stay out of my way, or you'll be next." Nina threatened.  
  
"That's very reassuring, seeing as you're already on my list." Anna said.  
  
"Now that's not a smart thing to do. Assassination 101: never let the target know they're a target. Didn't Heihachi teach you anything?" Nina said.  
  
Anna was a bit surprised that Nina knew about Heihachi.  
  
"I figure I'd make things interesting." Anna said.  
  
"I'm game. Are you?" Nina said.  
  
The line clicked. Across the street, Hwoarang was meeting with somebody he knew.  
  
5:22:07- Wallace approached the ambulance. He saw an unconscious Hwoarang on a stretcher, receiving a small blood transfusion. His right arm was bandaged up. A little bit of dried blood was still slightly smeared on his chest. The medic sitting beside him looked at Wallace.  
  
"I'll take it from here." Wallace said.  
  
The medic got up and jumped out of the ambulance.  
  
Wallace took a look at the bag, it was half empty. He sat down in the chair the medic had left warm.  
  
"Bad day?" Wallace asked.  
  
Hwoarang didn't laugh. He kept his eyes shut.  
  
"Could be better." He said.  
  
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you won't be going to jail even though Jin is dead." Wallace said.  
  
"Who cares about jail?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
Jail was on the back burner for him. He wasn't mad anymore about Jin. He felt sorry for the guy, sure. But what else could he do? He had been ambushed plenty today. Now that Jin was dead, surely it would stop. He never felt so ashamed of himself.  
  
Two years ago, he would have taken the mission head on, and probably would have succeeded. Now that the fourth tournament was over and he had been on the run and in hiding, his sense of honor had diminished. In fact, his training was lacking a little. Had he seriously taken Jin on in a fight, Jin would have won in sixty seconds tops.  
  
If he went to jail, at least he could focus. But right now, he wanted to know who shot him. He also wanted to know when he could throw up. His stomach retched from the blood loss and now the transfusion. He felt like he could just give up. Today was obviously one the worst days of his life.  
  
Wallace remained silent.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I have a few papers I need you to sign. I'll debrief you back at Headquarters, and then you can leave or take the job." Wallace said, not sure how Hwoarang would respond to the latter.  
  
"What job?" Hwoarang said, still lying on the stretcher, eyes shut.  
  
"The job you've had all day. You are the head of an anti-terrorist group. In fact, you're my boss." Wallace said.  
  
"Great. Then get me a shirt or a blanket or something, I'm freezing in here." Hwoarang said, the goose bumps on his skin obvious.  
  
He was right. The evening chill was beginning to roll in. Wallace grabbed a blanket of the small shelf behind him and handed it to him. Hwoarang reached over with his left arm and placed the blanket on himself.  
  
Wallace looked down at the bag, it was empty. He took the bag and detached it from the tube, and threw it in the hazardous waste basket. He then held Hwoarang's arm and removed the needle.  
  
Hwoarang was a bit surprised that Wallace knew how to this. He was more surprised at the fact that he was Wallace's boss. The anti-terrorist group must be bigger than he thought.  
  
Wallace pulled a black, long-sleeved, dress shirt out of a duffle bag he brought with him. He tossed it at Hwoarang.  
  
"Here. Thought you might need one." He said.  
  
Hwoarang got up finally and began to put it on carefully. His wound was still raw and just stretching his arm a little felt like complete agony. He was able to put it on though.  
  
Once the shirt was on, Wallace looked at him.  
  
"You should see the office. We can grab a bite to eat." He offered.  
  
"Ok." Hwoarang said, really just wanting to sleep for a long, long while.  
  
5:30:22- Liu Pang Ho was in the computer room, staring at the one thing that could render the Combots useless.  
  
A small blue chip was in the middle of one of the huge computer towers that sat in the room. It glowed like it was a gift from the heavens. Something that somebody would want, if they knew how to use it, and he knew they would kill for this.  
  
The chip was the one thing that could stop the operation dead in its tracks. The Combots used a collective consciousness, meaning that when one Combot found out new information, they all did at the same time. This was the one chip that enabled that feature. Remove it, and they're as dumb as any normal person.  
  
He wasn't sure if he should actually take it. The lab was underground. If he took the chip now, everybody out on the floor would know immediately. All it would take is one alarm to go off and the only elevator to the ground floor would stop, and he couldn't risk that since that was the one he was going to take. Plus, he was afraid of heights. Climbing outside of an elevator was not his idea of courageous.  
  
He left the chip alone for now, there would be another chance. He left the room and joined the others on the floor.  
  
5:40:47- The building was huge. Did they actually make ceilings that high? Hwoarang didn't know.  
  
Wallace was escorting him into the HQ for the UN's anti-terrorist unit. It was busy right now, reacting to the death of Jin Kazama and news that Julia Chang was alive after all.  
  
The place really worked on two sides: computer techies and surveillance aficionados on the left, field agents on the right. There was an upstairs, but it was nothing but a conference room and two offices.  
  
The two walked towards the stairwell towards the back of the building. Hwoarang ignored the looks from everybody else. They may have been good or bad, but regardless, everybody was looking at him. Something was going on that he didn't know about.  
  
Wallace led him to the conference room. Hwoarang immediately took a seat in one of the lush, leather, and well-padded chairs. Wallace left the room for a second. For the first time all day, it was quiet. The noise was at a minimum, and he didn't have to worry about somebody trying to kill him. It was also the first time today that he realized he had the headache from hell.  
  
Wallace came back in. He took a seat across from Hwoarang. They were silent for a moment.  
  
"Can I get you something?" Wallace said.  
  
"Aspirin."  
  
"Ok, but I was thinking along the lines of food. You want something to eat?" Wallace said.  
  
"Sure." He said.  
  
Wallace picked up the phone on the table and called up some food.  
  
"So, what now?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Now, I'm going to ask you a favor." Wallace said.  
  
"If anything, I think you owe me the favor, Al." Hwoarang said. "You're right. Start a tab. I'm asking for another one." Wallace said.  
  
"You've exceeded your limit for the night. Debrief me and I'll leave." He said.  
  
"You do know that this is your building right?" Wallace said.  
  
"Did I ask for it?" he said.  
  
"Why are you being like this?" Wallace asked, tired of playing games.  
  
"Why? Let's see. Instead of throwing me in prison, you assign me to protect my arch-rival, then I'm attacked by anonymous troops, I get into a car wreck, get a concussion, have to sit in a fucking morgue for an hour, only to go to a mall, see Jin get shot, and only to be shot myself. That's something I didn't fucking ask for!" Hwoarang said.  
  
Wallace glared at him for a moment. The room was silent once again.  
  
"I could throw you in jail if you'd like. Or you can stay here, run this place, and go onto your next assignment." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang was mad. He didn't like being pushed into a corner. It was when he was most dangerous. He was able to take everything with up until Jin died, and now he was tired, worn out, and upset. Worse of all, he wasn't fighting, and he couldn't fight.  
  
"Fine. You happy?" he asked.  
  
"Not really. But we do have to deal with things like these every day. Especially here." Wallace said.  
  
Wallace had an envelope in front of him; he pushed it across the table to Hwoarang. Hwoarang took it and opened it. Inside was a dossier on Nina Williams. Figures.  
  
"You want me to find her."  
  
"Yes. The reason we need you is because she went into hiding. We have Intel saying she had gone underground with a popular street gang. We don't know exactly where she is hiding, which is why we need you to go undercover." Wallace said.  
  
"It's not going to be a walk in the park. Street gangs are the easiest to infiltrate in a couple hours. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was impossible." Hwoarang said.  
  
"It should be a walk in the park for you, considering the gang." Wallace said.  
  
He had a hunch as to what Wallace meant, but that would be too much of a coincidence. Hwoarang flipped to the next page in the dossier, seeing that there was more than one person in the packet. The next person was all too familiar. Chen Hendrix. His own "custom" name. He used to be Hwoarang's best friend when he used to run his street gang back in Korea. He was also Hwoarang's right hand man.  
  
"What's Chen doing in Tokyo?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Keep reading." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang flipped to the next page, not surprised, but a bit stunned. It was her.  
  
"Ling." he whispered.  
  
Ling Xiaoyu had taken a fall from grace after the third tournament. She had been having a rough time with her parents, and then ran away for a short while. For some reason, she came to him. It all fell into place after that. She had run with his crowd, and the two became a bit of an item. But then, when he was drafted, he had left it all behind. It seemed like she had gone back home before the fourth tournament, but now she went back with the gang. Again, as to what they're doing in Tokyo, only God knows.  
  
"What are they doing here?" he asked.  
  
"Chen has turned your old gang into a bad business. He's dealing drugs, among other things. He is buying a big shipment of ecstasy here in the city tonight. That's where the big problem is. The mission is double-sided. You are to infiltrate your old gang, tip off the location of the deal, and find out where Nina is." Wallace said.  
  
"It's going to be tougher than it looks. I doubt they like me very much after I left." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Deal with it." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang continued to look at Ling's picture, wondering how she was.  
  
5:54:58- Liu was working on his computer, the group finally off the factory floor. Heihachi was talking to the project leader. They were probably going over a plan on how to use the Combots.  
  
He got up from his chair and walked back into the computer room. This was his time to strike. Most of the lab people had gone home now, and he was probably one of five people still down here.  
  
He took off the covering of the oversized computer tower once again. He was beginning to sweat. His hands shaking as he reached inside to take the chip.  
  
As soon as the chip was in his hands, a loud thump could be heard on the floor. He quickly put the chip back on and walked back out into the conference room. Heihachi, the project leader, and everybody else came into the room, wondering what happened. To keep his ass covered, he played along, acting frantic.  
  
"What the hell happened? I got a major systems error about twenty seconds ago." One tech said.  
  
Liu acted frantic, then bolted for the elevator about twenty feet away. Luckily the doors opened immediately.  
  
He hit the button for the first floor and the button to shut the doors. The elevator began to move.  
  
5:59:57. 5:59:58. 5:59:59. 6:00:00. 


	8. 6:00 pm 7:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
6:00:00- Nina Williams was in a small underground office. She had been told by her handlers to contact the man she was about to visit if anything in a contract went fowl. Her sister's involvement seemed pretty fowl.  
  
Nina knew how bad this situation was. Anna knew everything about her sister: the way she fights, the guns she uses, the usual methods she takes in assassinations, pretty much every move she would typically make. Nina didn't know anything about her sister, which made this very tricky ground to walk on. She just hoped Chen would be able to fix that.  
  
The office was set up like a Florida nightclub. Bright green and blue neon lights dimly lit the room, which had white walls and plush white carpeting. The place not only looked like a tropical indoor setting, but it felt like it too. It had to have been at least 85 degrees in the room. And outside, it was the beginning of spring, and it still felt like the dead of winter.  
  
A Chinese man came in and sat down at the desk like he owned the place. He did, actually. Chen Hendrix was a man who liked to flaunt his power wherever he went. He liked to spend money as well as make it, and loved to rub people's reputations into the ground.  
  
Tonight was no different. Nina actually felt intimidated by the tall man. He was abnormally tall at 7'9". He was well built, his tight dress shirt showing the massive bulge of his chest. She stayed straight-faced, not trying to show her feelings against the man. She didn't like his style, and she didn't want that to come across.  
  
"What can I do for you, babe?" Chen asked.  
  
Nina pulled out a card that had some writing on it. Thirty minutes ago, she had opened an envelope she hadn't ever needed. She had worked for this handler for only a couple of months, but this is something every handler did. Inside the envelope was two phone numbers. The first was to an assistant, who took down the information and relayed it to the handler. The second was an emergency number that was a direct line to the handler. This was only to be used last. She had seen what happened to people who used it improperly. Tonight she used it. The assistant's line kept ringing, which wasn't ever good. But the handler was quick with the call. She had sent her to Chen for protection. The card she now held had the handler's password on it. She slid it across the desk to Chen.  
  
Chen took the card and read it. His laptop was in front of him. It was a small machine that was top of the line and state-of-the-art. He hit a few buttons and confirmed the code. The name that came up was of a woman he had heard of, but never met. Chen trusted the woman, but he knew she was giving him an alias. Gloria Payton sounded too American, and Chen wondered if this handler did that on purpose.  
  
"Shelter?" he asked.  
  
"From the rain." She said.  
  
It wasn't actually raining outside; it was just another password she had been taught when she went under with her handler. Chen nodded in approval.  
  
"Ok." He said.  
  
Chen took a gel pen from his desk and began writing on the small pad of paper nearby. He ripped off the paper and handed it to Nina.  
  
"Go here. Give them this name and ID number. They should let you in, no questions asked. Wait for my call." He said.  
  
"Ok. Thank you." She said.  
  
She stood up and walked to the door, which was made of steel. It looked like it fit in some space movie, but she didn't care. What she did care about was the section of wall to her immediate right that opened. She darted to the left, reacting unnecessarily.  
  
Ling Xiaoyu walked through the hidden door that led out into a massive underground arena. Nina was the last thing she expected to see here.  
  
Nina was stunned, but didn't show it. She regained her posture and left the office. She couldn't believe it. Ling Xiaoyu, her handler, was here with Chen.  
  
6:06:57- Hwoarang was at a computer on the main floor of what he dubbed the ATU, or anti terrorist unit. He didn't know the technical name of the unit, and right now wasn't too worried about finding out. He was looking up names and numbers of people he trusted who could get him in contact with Ling or Chen. He didn't really want to do this, but if he left now, he knew he'd feel guilty about it later.  
  
A phone number popped up on the monitor. It was showed with a picture of Ling and her current location. He wrote down the number, got up, and went over to Wallace's office, which he knew was going to be his at some later date.  
  
"Hey." He said.  
  
Wallace was on the phone, again. "Yeah. I'm going to need those teams on standby for the rest of the evening. No, Tokyo police can't handle this. Fine. Bye." Wallace said.  
  
Wallace hung up the phone and looked at Hwoarang.  
  
"What is it?" he said.  
  
"I found Ling." He said, putting the number in front of him.  
  
"Ok. Let's do this." Wallace said.  
  
The two left the office and moved into the conference room.  
  
Hwoarang sat down, while Wallace began to type on a small laptop.  
  
"What are you doing?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Triangulating the signal. We need an exact location on her." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't know whether to start dialing or wait.  
  
"I'm good, go." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang dialed.  
  
"Yeah?" she said.  
  
"Ling?"  
  
"Who is this?" she said.  
  
"Hwoarang."  
  
She didn't say anything.  
  
"You there?" he said.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" she asked.  
  
"What's rightfully mine: my gang." He said.  
  
She laughed.  
  
"You know the rules. Got to fight the big man to get that. And he's got quite an impressive record already. Undefeated." She said.  
  
"Yeah, and you know my record. I could always kick Chen's ass before, and you know it." He said.  
  
"Not anymore, baby. Times have changed. Chen's a big man now. You wouldn't dare take him on." She said.  
  
"I'll take my chances." He said.  
  
Hwoarang glanced over at Wallace, who gave him a signal to keep it going.  
  
"He's not going to be happy." She said.  
  
"Who cares if he's happy now, or after the fight? I want what's mine." He said.  
  
"Well, I don't think it would make a big difference. So, no." she said.  
  
Wallace gave him the thumbs up.  
  
"Wait!" he said.  
  
She hung up.  
  
"Where?" he said.  
  
"She's at a small grocery store about a five miles north of here. It looks like she's leaving." Wallace said.  
  
"Good." Hwoarang said.  
  
6:17:03- Liu was lucky. Too lucky, in fact. The elevator was a breeze compared to the guards that had soon begun combing the building for him. But he wasn't stupid enough to stay there.  
  
He was now in the parking deck next door, where his car would be. But that wasn't his plan. He started moving up against his car and got in, starting it. Quietly, he left the car, leaving it running.  
  
He moved up one level, making sure to keep his head down. He ducked between a BMW and an old Cadillac El Dorado. Liu actually wondered what a Cadillac that old was doing in Japan. He decided to ignore it.  
  
He took out his pocket knife and began messing with some of the tools on it, trying to break into the BMW. He heard a car coming up near him. He stopped and ran to the front of the car, up against the wall.  
  
The car was that of a security guard, searching around for him, most likely. The car passed. That was close.  
  
He went back to the lock, finally successfully opening it. He had begun to think he had gotten rusty, seeing that he used to work on cars as a teenager, knowing everything about them, including locking mechanisms. He had been reading up on them lately, which is why he chose the Beemer. The locks were always the same, and thank God this one didn't have an alarm system.  
  
Inside the car, he began hotwiring the car, trying to get the engine to turn over. He smiled when the engine finally surrendered and began to purr as he revved the engine. He realized there was no easy way to get out of the deck. The guard at the exit gate would know to look out for him, and if he gunned it, the car would be fingered. He had to get to the police, the feds, the UN, somebody. He brought up the car's GPS system and looked up any available location that could give him some protection from Heihachi.  
  
None of them were close by, and he was scrambling to find someone to help him. Then he saw the phone on the console, and dialed the number for the police.  
  
"Police Headquarters?" a man's voice said.  
  
"I need help." Liu said.  
  
"How can I help you sir?" he said.  
  
"I'm at Mishima Labs. I am trying to get a hold of somebody that can protect me. You see, there's something terrible being built here." Liu said, trying to sound convincing.  
  
"Ok. Let me get one of the detectives here." he said.  
  
Liu realized what was going to happen.  
  
"Don't put me on hold!"  
  
It was too late. He was holding.  
  
After a moment, he came back.  
  
"This is Detective Wong." A man said.  
  
"This Liu Pang Ho, I work at Mishima Labs. I'm calling to inform you of something that is going on here that is very important." Liu said.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"We successfully made a fighting cyborg over a year ago. When this knowledge got to Heihachi Mishima, he ordered us to start mass production. Tonight, we unveiled our work to him. We've made one million of these robots. The thing that made me contact you is the fact that they are a collective consciousness." Liu explained.  
  
"What does that mean?" the Detective asked.  
  
"It means, that if one robot is watching, say, a tank coming over a hill on the other side of the city, every other robot sees it without actually being their. It's a very big army that could be used against humanity.  
  
The detective didn't respond right away.  
  
"You there?" Liu asked.  
  
The cop hung up.  
  
"Hello?" Liu said.  
  
Nothing came on the line.  
  
"Fuck!" Liu said.  
  
He had the proof. He punched in the directions to the police station into the GPS. He pulled out, blowing through the gate, racing to get to the police station.  
  
6:30:14- Night. The sun had finally fallen on Tokyo. The lights of the city had turned on, giving in to the glowing, pulsating neon craze that made the city famous.  
  
Hwoarang sat in the passenger's seat of the Honda Accord that Wallace was driving. They were approaching the same mall that Hwoarang was in not more than two hours ago. It seemed odd, being here so late after the incident. Jin's death had been forgotten for a moment. Hwoarang almost wanted to hit himself for not remembering the incident every second that passed. Right now, he had another person that just seemed like a memory to deal with: Ling.  
  
He loved her, which was weird for him. She reminded him of red silk with the intriguing, promising smell of strawberries and crème. When they were alone together, it was only then he was finally himself. He was able to drop the image of a jackass for one of a boy who really just wanted some company. Sex wasn't exactly a necessity with him anymore. Yeah, women here and there pined for him, but he wouldn't give in.  
  
His entire life had been that way. He admitted the fact that he was hot to most women, and could probably be a successful model in not time at all, but it wasn't him. He was the type who loved an adrenaline rush. Fighting did that for him. He thought about what would happen if he ever did model, and personally, he'd probably be shy about it; which is something that would never happen if he fought.  
  
Fighting freed his mind, his conscience. His inner demons were released to go play. There were opponents that were let off easy, and others he nearly killed. He wasn't afraid of the rage. That may have been why Ling had stopped seeing him. He never hit her, but it was what he did to others that may have scared her.  
  
The signal on the GPS beeped.  
  
"She's close." He said.  
  
"Yeah. Got to be at the light up there." Wallace said.  
  
The Honda pulled up behind a red Toyota Camry. There was a woman inside. Hwoarang knew it was her.  
  
"That her?" Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang had left the vehicle, not hearing Wallace. He unholstered the H&K at his hip and opened the passenger door of the Toyota.  
  
She didn't know what hit her. He sat down with the gun pointed at her.  
  
"Long time, no see." He said.  
  
It took Ling a moment to recognize him and for the shock to settle.  
  
"How the hell did you find me?" she asked.  
  
"That's for me to know." He said.  
  
The light turned green and Ling's Toyota pulled through the intersection, while Wallace turned in order to avoid suspicion.  
  
"Then, what do you want?" she said, annoyed already by his presence.  
  
"I want Chen. Where is he?" he asked.  
  
"Why should I tell you?"  
  
"Because I deserve the chance to claim what's mine." He said.  
  
He said this while trying to stroke a piece of her hair, she angrily swatted at his hand.  
  
"What do I get in return?" she asked. "Well, if you don't take me to him, you get a nice 9mm slug. Do what I ask, and maybe you'll get my gratitude as well." He said.  
  
She glanced at the gun. He was serious about it. She always thought of him as a little controlling, but she really still missed him.  
  
"Fine." She said.  
  
6:38:58- Heihachi was in his limousine. The ride back to the headquarters proved that this was going to be a long night. The man that stole the chip from the lab was one that was trying his patience. The police had been called, and Interpol was on the lookout for the car he left the parking deck in. But somehow, all of that wasn't enough reassurance. He picked up the phone, punching in the numbers.  
  
"Yes?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"There's a man by the name of Liu Pang Ho. He's a scientist that stole a chip from the labs. This chip is vital to our operation. Find him, and bring the chip back to me." Heihachi said.  
  
"How hard shall I go on him?"  
  
"Whatever it takes. Just get me that chip." He said, hanging up.  
  
6:41:13- He finally made it to the police station. Walking through the front doors, he could notice the smell of stale coffee in the air. Uniformed policemen moved about the main floor like it was theirs. Actually, this was their floor. The detectives were on the second floor. He had a brother that had worked as a cop here before he transferred to the department that got him killed.  
  
Liu walked up to the information desk. A young female cop sat there in her uniform, looking about as bored as one could get before contemplating suicide. She was busy playing solitaire on the PC in front of her.  
  
"What?" she said, still staring at the monitor.  
  
"Detective Wong please?" he asked.  
  
"Second floor, office 12B."  
  
"Thanks." He said.  
  
The staircase was off in its own little part of the building, and it probably wasn't used as often as one would think. The station itself sat on a hill, with this floor sitting on the downward slope. The second floor sat higher, and it gave them their own parking lot. Street access was as easy as leaving the lot from there. The office was blatantly obvious. It was the first office off the stairs. Liu knocked.  
  
"Come in." Wong said.  
  
Liu entered. Wong looked up at him.  
  
"Can I help you?" Wong asked.  
  
"I'm the man you hung up on." Liu said.  
  
"So what? I didn't believe you and I had better things to waste my time with."  
  
"You want proof? I got it. I can prove that there are one million of these things under the city." Liu said.  
  
The cop got up and began to push Liu out of the office. He began to shut the door when Liu stuck his arm through holding the chip.  
  
The chip in itself looked majestic. It was about the size of a half dollar. It was silver, and had a hole where a bright blue glow of the microprocessor could be seen. It also had three little prongs on each side of its rectangular shape where it could be hooked into something bigger.  
  
The cop stopped. Liu walked back in.  
  
"Now do you believe me?" Liu said.  
  
"So it's true." Wong said.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"About two minutes before you entered my office, I received a departmental alert. It was to be on the lookout for you."  
  
"I figured as much, but why did you arrest me? And why wasn't I apprehended downstairs?" Liu asked.  
  
"I don't know about down there, maybe you were just lucky. Me though, I got a damn good reason. I hate Heihachi Mishima." Wong said.  
  
"Why's that?" Liu asked.  
  
The cop didn't answer at first. He moved back behind his desk and sat down. He offered a seat to Liu. Liu took it.  
  
"One year ago, Mr. Mishima was in the limo that killed my wife and unborn child. Hit and run. Mishima wasn't at fault, the driver was. He was intoxicated. But that wasn't what made me hate him. It was heartless fact that he never apologized for what happened. So I sued him for hiring the drunk driver in the first place. He bribed the judge and actually got away with it. Then he counter-sued, and won. I was lucky to keep my job." Wong said.  
  
"What did he sue you for?" Liu asked.  
  
"Harassment. So that's why I was letting you go. If he looses a valuable chip to him, so be it. I lost my invaluable family, and he insulted me." Wong said.  
  
"So what do we do about this?" Liu asked.  
  
He was beginning to wonder if he came to the wrong place.  
  
Wong sat there a moment, thinking about what he should do. He finally looked Liu straight in the eye.  
  
"You think Heihachi's going to come after this?" Wong asked.  
  
"I wouldn't doubt it. This thing renders the bots useless. If wants them to work properly, he'll need the chip." Liu said.  
  
"Then I've got to protect you. I'll talk to my captain and see what we can do from this end. I'll be right back." Wong said.  
  
He got up and left the room. Liu was worried. Wong seemed sincere, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about all of this. He put his head in his hands and rubbed his face. He was tired.  
  
6:49:23- Hwoarang entered the grocery store that provided cover for Chen's hideout. It looked like one you'd probably find in the slums of any city. It looked rundown, but it was just trying to be what it was, a business. The isles were lined with various goods, and a small refrigerated section lined the back wall, holding various types of beer, Gatorade, and milk.  
  
Ling guided him forward towards that section, opening a door. The hiss of cold air blew in Hwoarang's face as she opened it, pushing a false shelf away from her. The racks that held everything was another door, which unlocked when the right shelf was moved. The two were walking directly into an elevator. He wondered where it was going.  
  
She looked uneasy, and he didn't blame her. When she left him, she had told him to not try to contact her. He respected that and never talked to her until tonight. It wasn't like he had the opportunity to call her before. Two days after she left him, he was drafted into the army. He was literally dragged to the base he was stationed at. That was when Chen must have taken over, and now he was back. His cover story of wanting his old gang back did have some truth to it. He didn't want to run some stupid anti-terrorist unit. That was something Wallace seemed capable of all by himself. He wanted his old gang back. He wanted to go back to the life he once knew. One where the parties were wild, the fights were awesome, and the chicks were very fuckable. Money wasn't even an issue then. He was probably bringing in more money then than he would be running some stupid government agency.  
  
The elevator stopped and the shimmering silver doors opened, revealing the "Miami nightclub" that was Chen's office.  
  
"Sit there. I'll get him. Don't expect a warm welcome." She said, walking out into the arena.  
  
He took a seat in the plush white leather armchair. The room had a green haze-type lighting scheme in place and it reminded him of something out of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Chen always did have a thing for the '80's.  
  
"What the fuck do you want?" Chen said, walking in.  
  
Hwoarang was almost speechless. Chen had really built himself up, muscle wise.  
  
The tank top that Chen wore showed off his now huge arms. His chest was beginning to bulge out and his abs were also poking out of the black wife- beater that looked like it was about to rip any second now. It was a huge change from the obese figure that used to be his right hand man. This was starting to worry him.  
  
"I see you've changed." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I fucking run this place. Plus, I was sick of being big." He said.  
  
"I see."  
  
"I'll say it again, what the fuck do you want?" Chen said.  
  
"I want the gang back." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Nope. Can't do that." Chen said.  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Because I fucking said so, that's why."  
  
"Did you ever change the rules?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"What rules would those be?" Chen asked. "Remember how you wanted the gang once before? The rules I made say that if somebody wants to run the gang, they have to beat the leader in a fight." Hwoarang said.  
  
"You want to fight me?" Chen said.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"For the gang?" Chen asked.  
  
"Yep."  
  
He sat there a moment, contemplating the challenge. Hwoarang hoped he wouldn't remember the rest of the rule, which said, that the leader doesn't have to accept the challenge.  
  
"You're on." Chen said.  
  
Ling walked in from the arena wearing nothing but a bright red bra and panties. She looked like she didn't care, but Hwoarang knew she probably did.  
  
"This good enough, hon?" she said.  
  
"Yeah." Chen said, waving her off.  
  
She left, and Hwoarang glared at Chen.  
  
"You're sleeping with her." Hwoarang said.  
  
It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He could tell something was up when he saw Ling back in the car. She seemed different somehow, he just couldn't figure out what it was until now, when it was blatantly obvious.  
  
"Yeah, and you better remember her that way because I'm going to fucking kill you in the ring." Chen said.  
  
"Not if I kill you first." Hwoarang said, and he meant it.  
  
6:55:34- Liu was staring at Wong's plagues that stood framed on the walls of the office. According to them, Wong was a skilled sharpshooter and a very fast runner. He had nailed many big name criminals in his time, Liu figured. Maybe it was about time to bring down another one.  
  
Wong came and threw a bulletproof vest at Liu.  
  
"What's the deal?" Liu asked.  
  
"My captain agrees with me. We need to keep you protected. But first, we need to get you out of this station. It'd be too easy to find you here. Interpol can just walk in and apprehend you, and the police wouldn't be able to lift a finger." Wong said.  
  
Wong was wearing a bulletproof vest over his shirt and tie, a Beretta holstered on the right side of his belt.  
  
"So where are we going?" Liu asked.  
  
"I need to take something first. The chip. I should have it, just in case." Wong said.  
  
Liu now doubted him. He wasn't going to let that chip out of his sight. He didn't know if Heihachi had gotten to anybody inside the police department.  
  
"This chip doesn't leave my possession. No exceptions." Liu said.  
  
"Ok, then." Wong said.  
  
6:57:44- Kazuya was watching them from across the street. It had begun to rain hard and he was in a full rain suit, his face completely surrounded by the shroud. He was just waiting for the man who had the chip to leave. Then he would be able to satisfy his hunger.  
  
He ran his tongue across his fangs inside his mouth. They were very sharp, he realized as he felt the sharp pain of the tooth cutting into the soft flesh of his tongue. Blood began to swell from the small wound. Boy was it good. So good, in fact, that he was getting anxious. Kazuya couldn't wait till he could drink again. This was going to be fun.  
  
6:58:12- Hwoarang sat in the empty locker room by himself. Prepping for himself for the fight like a boxer would. Chan really wanted this to be painful because there were no gloves set aside for him to wear. There was some clothing: a pair of black Adidas pants, a t-shirt, and a tank top. Hwoarang wasn't surprised by the choices, seeing as it was the locker used to be his. He figured it had been left untouched. The pants were the right size, but the two shirts left behind felt tight, so he decided against wearing a shirt. Oh, and he had almost forgot to take his shoes off. Those were forbidden from the fights.  
  
The door to the locker room flew open, a man holding it open. It was time.  
  
When Hwoarang stepped out into the arena, he felt alive again. There were crowds of people gathered around the caged octagon in the center off the room. It looked like it did on TV. But the funny thing was, nobody was cheering for Hwoarang. Chan was already in the ring, showing off.  
  
The man led Hwoarang down to the ring, opening the door for him.  
  
He stepped inside and Chen stopped showing off. He then stared at Hwoarang and smiled as if this was a guilty pleasure.  
  
Hwoarang just stared at Chen, not saying a word.  
  
The two men circled around each other, waiting for something to happen.  
  
The bell dinged.  
  
6:59:57. 6:59:58. 6:59:59. 7:00:00.  
  
Author's note: I can't believe this chapter is as long as it is. But I hope that you all are satisfied so far. A good song I think that could be related to this hour and the next few hours coming up is Linkin Park's "P5hng Me A*wy" from their "Live in Texas" album. Stay tuned! 


	9. 7:00 pm 8:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
7:00:00- Hwoarang circled around Chen, wondering what to attack with. So far nobody had made a move, but then Chen took the pleasure of opening the fight up.  
  
Chen came in with a right jab which Hwoarang side-stepped. He was counting on that. As Hwoarang side-stepped to his left, Chen came up with a left snap kick, making contact with Hwoarang's mid section. Hwoarang backed off for a second.  
  
Hwoarang faked the fear to Chen, but he came back and performed his "Misdemeanor", aimed right for his face. It made contact, sending Chen flying into the ground. The move was nothing but a flying reverse roundhouse kick. Cool on the page, difficult to actually perform. Hwoarang immediately took the advantage and charged Chen, who was still lying on the ground.  
  
It was his own damn fault for charging. Chen took the faking maneuver from Hwoarang and faked his time on the ground. As Hwoarang charged, Chen quickly got up on one knee and gave him probably the hardest gut punch of all time.  
  
Hwoarang's stomach felt like it was buckling, caving in on itself. He didn't see the cheap shot coming. He flew back into the cage wall that surrounded him. He saw Chen coming after him.  
  
Chen picked Hwoarang up by the throat, holding him up enough so that he would choke. Hwoarang's legs were flying about, trying to get some leverage so he could breathe. One of his feet was able to stand itself on his waist somehow, and a knee from the other side came in contact with his jaw.  
  
Hwoarang fell onto his feet, and then charged Chen again. Chen had already staggered backward, and now he could see the flying kick coming right for his face.  
  
Chen ducked just in time as the kick now flew right over him. Hwoarang landed, not anticipating Chen's move. With Hwoarang's back turned, Chen took another cheap shot, this time for the kidney. Hwoarang fell onto his knees, holding his lower back in pain. He looked up at Chen, who then punched him in the face, knocking Hwoarang to the ground.  
  
7:04:59- Wallace walked into the ATU carrying a bag of food from McDonald's. He sipped on the super-sized Dr. Pepper as he began walking up to his office.  
  
Food wasn't a big deal with him. He wasn't exactly built but he wasn't fat either. All the walking around that the ATU made him do gave him enough exercise every day. The doctor's told him he was in perfect health and he didn't se any problem with his fast food diet, if you could call it that.  
  
The office was in the tone of the rest of the building, dreary. The cold tones of steel and glass were every where. Hell, his desk was made of glass and his chair was nothing but padded black steel. The whole complex made you feel like you were shivering even though it really was about 75 degrees in here. Maybe it was to mimic the way people were working everyday, like drones.  
  
He opened up his burger and took a bite out of it, looking at the monitor in front of him. There was a report from Interpol on the desktop. He read the brief, which told him about a man named Liu Pang Ho, a scientist that worked for Mishima Labs. The location sent off a red flag to him. Since the body of Julia Chang's Combot was found there, he had been trying to keep the local police and Interpol away from there, but now it seemed that somebody had brought more attention to the place.  
  
He had supposedly stolen secret documents from the building that could be used to blackmail Heihachi Mishima. The brief did say what the documents were about. It just told him to be on the lookout and to call Interpol if any information was found.  
  
That was the last thing he was ever going to do. While Interpol was a very important international agency, Wallace's operation overruled them in this case, according to the UN. He picked up the phone.  
  
"Yeah?" said a young man.  
  
"Adam. I need you to work up the name Liu Pang Ho. He might be involved with Hwoarang's investigation." He said.  
  
"Got it." The tech said.  
  
Wallace looked back at the brief, attached to the file was a picture of the man. He looked at it, and then went back to his burger.  
  
7:11:23 – Liu was in the parking garage of the station. He could the rain beginning to pour outside. He put his hand in his pocket. Inside, he could feel the chip. It didn't feel like a burden, as odd as that sounded.  
  
Wong had told him the plan of taking a SWAT team with them to a safehouse. It sounded easy, but he didn't know what would happen. For all he knew, he could actually be dead in a few minutes.  
  
The garage was long, with white fluorescent lights flooding the place from the ceiling. The area was big enough to carry about twelve armored trucks, or in this case, SWAT vans. On each end was a garage door made of steel, and a door that people with clearance could walk through. One garage door was open. It led out to a small driveway that a SWAT van was parked in. Wong came through a door in the middle of the garage, checking to make sure that his gun was there.  
  
"Let's go." Wong said, grabbing Liu by the arm as he began walking towards the van.  
  
The SWAT team was already in the van, lining up both sides of the back, six men in all. The two men entered the van when the whole thing shook. A big thump came from the top of the van.  
  
One of the SWAT team took his MP5 and poked his head out the door, which was still open. His body immediately was dragged onto the roof of the van, his screams being cut short by a spray of blood that splashed onto the floor of the nearby garage.  
  
The whole team burst through the back of the van, guns ready, and aimed at the top of the van. Nobody was there.  
  
"What the fuck?" Wong said.  
  
Then a gunshot rang from the driver's seat. Everybody looked up towards the driver. The windshield was shattered, and Kazuya sat on the driver, fangs buried into the man's neck, blood gushing everywhere.  
  
The team all raised their MP5's. The flashlights shining onto Kazuya's blood-covered face. It got his attention. He looked at them all and hissed. The team opened fire, but Kazuya was already jumping through the driver's door, which surprisingly came off with ease.  
  
Kazuya rolled onto the ground, and then got up, only to run on the wall and bounce off, tackling one of the SWAT members. He then bounced off again.  
  
Everybody looked at the man Kazuya tackled. The man's throat was slashed. Kazuya wasn't anywhere to be found.  
  
The garage door began to shut.  
  
"Fuck!" Wong said, running to it.  
  
It was too late, the door was shut.  
  
"Dammit. It's on a two minute timer. It shuts itself if nobody else has." Wong said, trying to keep quiet.  
  
The five remaining SWAT members took positions at both ends of the covered driveway, looking into the rainy darkness beyond for any sign of Kazuya. One of the men was kneeling up against the wall on the right wall of the south side. It was quiet when he was suddenly dragged off, not making a noise.  
  
As soon as the man on the left side noticed, Kazuya dashed out and stuck his fingers into the man's jugular. The man began to profusely bleed. He gurgled, and everybody heard it. The remaining three members turned around and fired, only hitting their comrade. Kazuya had vanished again.  
  
"That's it. We're getting out of here." Wong said.  
  
He walked to the driver's side of the van and pulled the dead man out. He looked at Liu through the passenger's window.  
  
"Get the fuck in here!" Wong yelled.  
  
Liu jumped into the van, just as Kazuya jumped onto it. The three remaining SWAT members opened fired at the roof as the van drove off into the night.  
  
7:21:08- Hwoarang was beginning to get tired. Chen was kicking his ass. He had just delivered a devastating blow to Chen that he thought fazed the giant. He set one hand onto the cage, trying to catch his breath. A fist came down hard onto his jaw, and a fist came clenching his throat. Chen then began a flurry of punches to Hwoarang's face. Hwoarang kept kicking Chen in the legs, groin and abdomen, but it wasn't helping. He could hear bones crunching after every blow, but then they stopped.  
  
That was when he raised him up and started punching him in the abs while continuing to choke him. Would it every stop? Yes, it would. After about ten blows, Chen dropped him to the ground. Hwoarang would give anything for it to stop. He knew his nose was broken, and he probably had a ruptured spleen or something to that account. His abs felt limp. He spit the blood from his mouth and began to get up.  
  
Chen backed off, watching the broken Hwoarang struggle to get to his knees. He laughed.  
  
"What do you think of me now, eh?" Chen joked.  
  
Hwoarang looked up at him, the blood running from his nose and falling onto the ground.  
  
"Let's make this fun, shall we?" Chen yelled.  
  
The crowd cheered.  
  
"Bring them in boys!" Chen said.  
  
Different weapons then came flying into the ring, including a metal baseball bat and a chain. There were other weapons, including many beer bottles, but they weren't as useful as the bat and chain. The bat landed right in front of Hwoarang, and the chain landed in front of Chen. The two picked up the weapons.  
  
7:28:37- Adam was an analyst inside the UN's anti-terrorist unit. There were many of them all over the world, and he happened to be stationed in Japan. Today was already rough on his senses.  
  
Adam was 23. He had already been through university and had a degree in computer science and biochemistry. He was highly intelligent, and he was a bit of a workaholic, so naturally, everybody offered him a job. He decided to work for the UN as a temporary gig, hoping it would look even better on a resume. That way, when the offers come, he can negotiate for another position other than entry-level. He was never sure when he was going to leave. He'd been here for a year now, and he had thought about telling Wallace that he would leave at the one-year mark. Working on terrorist data and being all secretive with his family or his girlfriend was something he didn't like.  
  
Right now he was working on something odd. The building had sensors, which could pick up signals, radio or otherwise. This protected them from somebody trying to possibly attack the building. They really weren't that important, but when he was going through some routine data from the sensors, they picked up something. Normally, the alarms would have gone off if they sensed something, but they weren't that closely watched, and were shut off for some unknown reason. He read the section of code that was different. He ran the code through a program of his, and it came back as a signal for a satellite. Whoever was in the building when the signal was present was carrying a transmitter that would relay a signal to a satellite, which would then relay the exact same signal to a receiver. This signal was from the transmitter.  
  
He left his desk, and walked upstairs to Wallace's office. Wallace was at his desk.  
  
"I got something." He said.  
  
"What is it?" Wallace said.  
  
"I've been running through some data within the past hour, and I came across something from our building sensors."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Somebody that's been in the building within the past hour has been carrying active radio transmitter. I tracked the signal to its respective satellite."  
  
"Good. Let me know when you find out more." Wallace said.  
  
"Ok." Adam said.  
  
Adam left. Wallace's phone rang. "Wallace." He said.  
  
"Mr. Wallace?" a voice said.  
  
Wallace recognized the voice of Captain Mayasote of the local police force.  
  
"Yes, Captain. How can I help you?" Wallace said.  
  
"We have a small problem. One of my detectives was moving a material witness to a safehouse. He was accompanied by a SWAT team. As they were leaving, they were attacked by an unknown assailant. The detective and the witness escaped in a SWAT van, and we can't reach them by radio. I was wondering if you would be able to help us locate them?" the officer said.  
  
"Yeah, in fact, I was about to call your office to ask if you've heard anything about a fugitive that may be involved in a case of ours, a Liu Pang Ho?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yes, we have." The officer said with a sigh.  
  
Wallace sensed the man's hesitation.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"This material witness happens to be the man everybody's been looking for."  
  
"This is a joke."  
  
"No joke. He came in about thirty minutes ago, and the detective who escaped with him told me of a piece of evidence that may prove he had been pressured into stealing from the labs." The officer said.  
  
"Pressured how?" Wallace asked.  
  
"He felt that it was a decision of morality. That the city was in danger if he didn't do something."  
  
"What exactly did he steal?"  
  
"A chip. He told us that under the city were a million 'Combots' under the city, and that this chip he has would cripple them significantly." The officer said.  
  
"That's a big piece of information, and you're basing it all on a chip?" Wallace asked.  
  
"I really didn't want to act until I had him secure. He had said Mishima would come after this, and now the attack, which was directly outside of our station, proves his point."  
  
"You're right. Any idea where they were headed?" Wallace asked.  
  
"They could be headed anywhere, but we are trying to active a transponder in their vehicle from our end." The officer said.  
  
"Ok. I'll try to locate the van on infrared from our end, and you keep me informed on that transponder." Wallace said.  
  
"Ok." The officer said.  
  
Wallace hung up and left the office, going to work up the infrared satellite.  
  
7:37:19- Wong knew the monster was still on top, but he didn't know why it hadn't attacked yet. What was it waiting for? This would be a perfect time for him to strike, they were at a stop light, and yet he hadn't moved. He looked back at Liu, who held one of the shotguns at the roof, just in case he did decide to move.  
  
The past twenty minutes had been an odd one at that. Kazuya had latched onto the hood of the truck and stayed there. But little did Wong and Liu know, that one bullet grazed his temple as he latched onto the truck. His claws dug into the metal frame as he lay on the roof of the truck, unconscious.  
  
Wong couldn't stand the fear of the monster being on the truck, with the chance to attack whenever.  
  
"Liu?"  
  
Liu looked at Wong. The sweat pouring off of his forehead, and his shaking were a clear sign that he was scared.  
  
Wong looked back at Liu. The light was still red.  
  
"Do it." Wong said.  
  
"I... I don't think I can." Liu said.  
  
Liu could really only take so much. Eluding the authorities was ok to him, but to admit that there was a vampire on top of the van, which was trying to kill him, scared him. The bloodshed earlier was too much to begin with. Why was this happening? He wished he could back in time and forget about that damn chip. Then he thought about the Combots. He wanted that to stop too, but if he left the chip, then Heihachi would have won. If he keeps the chip, this vampire will continue to hunt him until he's dead. He just wished it would all go away.  
  
"Fire the goddamn gun!" Wong yelled, trying to keep his voice down.  
  
The light turned green, and at the same time, the noise from Wong woke Kazuya. Kazuya began to get up, his claws scraping the roof. Liu fired as soon as he heard the noise. Wong floored it.  
  
Kazuya had already begun to move towards the front of the vehicle when the shotgun blast caught his left ankle. Then the van moved. He dug his claws into the metal frame once again. It was a last resort as his body had flung towards the back, his claws barely hanging onto the top of the rear doors. He began to climb back onto the roof.  
  
Liu saw Kazuya's legs in the back window. He cocked the gun once more and fired, the back windows shattering into a million pieces, sending it glimmering into the night as the van sped on.  
  
Wong kept his foot on the accelerator, pushing the van towards 70 mph. They were in a part of the slums that wasn't traveled often because of its high- crime rate. Wong didn't mind this at all, as long as they could get the vamp off their ride.  
  
Another blast fired, this time at the roof again. Liu couldn't tell if the vampire was hit or if it was continuing its trek towards the front.  
  
Wong was speeding on an overpass, a section of another street underneath. The street was deserted. He began wondering where to go next when the windshield cracked. He saw the monster's hand come down for a second bash at the window. Wong noticed the gun in his hand. Wong was starting to lose control, the vehicle swerveing all over the road, narrowly missing the railing on the sides of the overpass. The gun finally made it's way through the window with one last bash, the gun firing a stray shot in the process.  
  
Wong noticed the problem immediately. The stray shot from Kazuya's gun had gone through the steering column somehow and he had lost complete control of the van. The gun came in through the windshield, and it was aimed. It fired, the bullet hitting Wong in the chest. He slumped back into the seat. The van rammed into the railing, sending Kazuya flying off the overpass. He landed on the ground far below. The last thing he probably heard was his skull cracking open.  
  
7:45:10- Hwoarang finally had the upper hand. Chen was on the ground, and he was beating him with the bat.  
  
"You fucking like that! Huh?! You son of a bitch!" he screamed as he continued to hit him.  
  
Chen was on all fours, trying to get up. Hwoarang wouldn't let him. Not after all the gloating that Chen did. He didn't mind not using his fists. Why should he when he had a weapon? Someone once told him that there was no honor in fighting with a weapon. Fuck honor, this was to the death. Chen had the chain, and it worked for all of two minutes. Chen's method was to choke Hwoarang to death, and it hadn't worked. Yeah, it weakened him, but it didn't kill him. All it did was piss him off. He slammed the metal bat onto Chen's back, probably cracking something. Chen was back down on the ground. So, what did Hwoarang do? He kicked him in the ribs, and when he didn't get up, he kicked him again. If no response, he hit him with the bat anyways. He had been doing this for about a minute now, and Chen hadn't tried to fight back.  
  
The crowd was now cheering for Hwoarang. They didn't care who won, it was just that it was a damn good and bloody fight. People threw a few more bottles into the ring. One broke as it landed near Chen's head.  
  
It took only three seconds for the tide to change.  
  
One. Chen took the broken bottle off the floor as soon as it landed.  
  
Two. Hwoarang raised the bat. The bottle moving towards his bare feet.  
  
Three. The jagged edges of the bottle dug into his foot. He screamed.  
  
Chen got up in time to watch Hwoarang fall to the ground, clutching his left foot. Chen picked up the bat and slammed it down onto Hwoarang's side. He continued to scream. Chen picked him up by the hair as he continued to scream and put him in another chokehold. The screams were cut short by the lack of air, but Chen didn't want his agony to end. He looked down at the gauze around Hwoarang's left shoulder. He ripped it off, showing the raw skin around the bullet wound. Chen almost laughed. The hole was still wide open, but the bleeding had stopped. The wound in itself was fairly big. In fact it was perfect for Chen's next move, which he knew would really hurt. He dug a finger from his free hand into the wound.  
  
The pain was too intense. So intense he couldn't scream right away. The pain from his shoulder was all he could feel. Then his mouth finally admitted the sound of his screams.  
  
Chen didn't have a good grip on him, so he ran him up against the caged wall. He began twisting his index finger into the wound. Hwoarang screamed harder. Chen laughed, enjoying every minute of it.  
  
Oh my god! The pain! He couldn't stand it anymore! The tears began to roll from his eyes as his vocal chords began to strain; the screams much more intense.  
  
7:52:45- Liu opened his eyes. He was lying in the back of the van. It was all quiet. He looked around, seeing Wong's body up in the front. It wasn't moving.  
  
The monster seemed to be gone. Other than him and the sound of the hissing engine, it was quiet. He got up to look at Wong.  
  
Wong knew he wasn't going to make it. He hoped Liu was still alive, seeing as he was the one with the chip. Then Liu came beside him. He wondered if he was dreaming. "Detective? Are you ok?" Liu asked.  
  
"No. I'm not going to make it." He said.  
  
Liu then noticed the wound on Wong's chest. It had bled through his shirt, which was soaked.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Liu asked.  
  
"In my right pocket is an address. Go there and call 911. Take my badge, too." Wong said.  
  
The badge was in his front right breast pocket, its gold shield glimmering as the street light shone inside the van. He took it.  
  
"Detective?"  
  
He didn't respond.  
  
"Detective?" Liu said.  
  
Again, no response. He was dead.  
  
Liu hadn't every seen a dead body like this. Wong's eyes were still open. He couldn't touch them. No. He was too scared. It was his fault they ended up like this, not firing at the monster like he should have. Now Wong was dead because of that. He took the piece of paper from the jacket pocket. He got out of the van.  
  
The streets seemed deserted, but in the distance, Liu could see one or two people looking on in horror and amazement. He then looked down onto the street beneath the overpass. About fifty feet away directly below, he could see Kazuya lying in the street. The blood pool had come his head he guessed. It was everywhere. Liu looked at the paper.  
  
"Shit!" he cursed.  
  
The address was on the other side of the city.  
  
7:58:19- Chen had finally taken the finger out of the wound, and began to beat Hwoarang with his fists once again.  
  
Hwoarang really couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't feel his face. He felt like a boxer who had just gotten the crap kicked out of him. He didn't feel any swelling coming on, which only made it worse. Chen hesitated for a second, waiting to see if he was going to collapse. Hwoarang did just that. He fell onto the ground.  
  
Chen had won. He turned around to an applauding crowd. He began to laugh. Somebody threw a bottle of beer in. Chen caught it and began to chug it. That was the moment. Hwoarang got up onto a shaky left leg that was still bleeding a little. Chen didn't notice him. He ran up to him as best as he could as jumped onto his back, putting all his effort into getting him into a headlock.  
  
Chen began to spit out the beer as Hwoarang grabbed onto him. He could feel the pressure on his neck. It was getting tighter. He couldn't breathe. Then it snapped, and Chen's vision faded.  
  
Hwoarang broke Chen's neck. Now he was the winner. He let go of Chen as his body fell to the ground, still clutching the bottle of beer that was now spilling on the floor.  
  
Hwoarang dropped to his knees and leaned back, trying to breathe.  
  
7:59:57... 7:59:58... 7:59:59... 8:00:00... 


	10. 8:00 pm 9:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
8:00:00- Adam saw Wallace over at the infrared satellite, working on something. So that's where he was. He had been looking for him for the past two minutes, to no avail. Wallace had a knack for hiding, even on an open floor like this. The building was beginning to get chaotic a little. The news of Liu Pang Ho had everyone trying to put a net over the city, and so far, they've gotten nothing. Adam approached Wallace.  
  
"I found something about that satellite." Adam said.  
  
Wallace turned away from the computer.  
  
"What'd you get?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I tried comparing the times that the signal was active to the check in and checkout times of people inside the building. The only one with an exact match was the man you brought in a couple hours ago." Adam explained.  
  
"Hwoarang would have noticed if a transmitter was on him. And besides, why would he have one on him in the first place?" Wallace asked.  
  
"I don't think he knew it was on him. They were burst transmissions. Whatever it was, it was very small. You'd probably have to be looking for it to notice it."  
  
"Ok. You get anything on the receiver?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yeah, I was about to get to that. It's here in Tokyo." Adam said.  
  
"Where exactly?"  
  
"I'm trying to narrow it down now. We should know within the hour." Adam said.  
  
"Good work. Keep me posted." Wallace said, going back to the infrared satellite database.  
  
8:03:45- Hwoarang fell onto the ground inside the caged arena. The crowd was still silent, obviously shocked by the turn of events. His face had taken a good portion of the attacks. His nose was probably broken, his jaw probably fractured. He didn't know, and he didn't care. The fight wasn't what he expected it to be. He had underestimated Chen. The man who used to be nothing but a sidekick had made something of himself within the past year. The one thing he forgot Chen had was dedicated. When Hwoarang left the gang, Chen probably killed to get where he was. Then he beefed up and that's when his ego raised up. He probably knew it was only a matter of time before Hwoarang came back, wanting the gang back.  
  
He was still conscious. He hurt all over, the blood from his nose and mouth beginning to dry to his face. The wound on his shoulder had gushed out a little blood before the wound dried up again. He turned his face towards the entrance to the ring.  
  
"Move it. Let me in there." Ling yelled.  
  
She was pushing her way through the crowd to get inside to Hwoarang. She still cared for him, even though she never showed it. When he left, she was frightened by Chen. She had slept with Chen yes, but it was almost forced sometimes. At least when she fucked Hwoarang she actually wanted to. Chen was too egotistical to have sex with. Hwoarang may have been cocky, but at least he admitted it. She pushed the ring door open and rushed to Hwoarang's side.  
  
"I knew you'd come." He said.  
  
"Don't talk. I'm here." She said.  
  
"I'm okay."  
  
"No you're not. He could have killed you."  
  
"No. I killed him actually." He said.  
  
She looked over to Chen. He was right. Chen's body wasn't moving, a beer bottle just now dropping out of his lifeless hand.  
  
"Well, you got what you wanted." She said.  
  
"I know." He said.  
  
"Let's get you out of here. Can you walk?" she asked.  
  
"Maybe." He said.  
  
She grabbed his left arm and began to help him up. He grunted as he struggled to get his left leg up, his foot still killing him from the bottle Chen stabbed it with.  
  
The crowd stood aside, letting the two through towards the locker rooms. They looked on in amazement. They probably never thought he would make it. It was a 'David and Goliath' match, and as the fable said, David won.  
  
Ling held onto his arm as the two walked into the locker room, shutting the door behind them.  
  
8:10:23- Liu had begun walking in the direction of the address, hoping to run into a taxi or something, just so he didn't have to walk all the way there. If he did, it'd be at least three hours till he got there. And he didn't know if there was anybody still after him.  
  
He had gone about seven blocks so far. He was starting to enter a fairly decent residential neighborhood. The houses white or some other various color, good sized lawns, too. If he made any less money, he'd probably be in a neighborhood like this. The type any middle-class family would live in. Husband, wife, two kids, maybe three, and a big driveway that gets wet in the summer from the sprinkler in the front yard. He kept walking down the street.  
  
Turning the corner, the lights of a convenience store lit the street. He was about a block away from there. He could call the number, as long as he had the money.  
  
Liu fumbled in his pockets feeling for change. His fingers feeling the sides of the coins, trying to tell size and weight, praying he had correct change for the payphone. He guessed he did. He then checked his other pocket. Then he remembered that there was no change there. He moved it all over to the other pocket so that way there was nothing piling up against the chip. He had put it inside a little box back at the station. That way, in case he fell on it, it wouldn't break.  
  
He walked up to the payphone outside of the store and threw the change in. He dialed the number.  
  
8:17:51- Wallace's cell phone rang.  
  
"Wallace." He said.  
  
"Yes, I got this number from a Detective Wong. He told me to call. Who is this again?" Liu said.  
  
"SAC Albert Wallace, United Nations Anti-Terrorist Unit. Who's this?" Wallace said.  
  
"This is Liu Pang Ho. I was under police surveillance until we were attacked."  
  
Wallace snapped his fingers at Adam as he began to walk across the main floor. He mouthed the words "Trace this call" as he pointed to his cell phone.  
  
Adam was at his workstation. He had three different computers that he worked on at any given time. He turned around while sitting in his swivel chair and began typing away at one computer. Wallace came up behind him, looking at the monitor as the trace started.  
  
"Liu, you called the right number. Where are you?" Wallace said. "Somewhere in the south part of the city at a convenience store payphone. I'm not sure where." Liu said.  
  
"Do you know the street name?"  
  
"I haven't lived here long; I don't know this part of the city yet." Liu said.  
  
"Ok, no problem. Is the detective there?" Wallace asked.  
  
"No, he's dead. As I said, we were attacked by some type of vampire, and we crashed on an overpass."  
  
"Was it near the expressway?" Wallace asked.  
  
"No. It was just another street below us. The vampire landed down there after we crashed." Liu said.  
  
"Ok. That helps narrow it down." Wallace said.  
  
Adam's net was going city-wide.  
  
"Adam. South side of the city, look for convenience stores near overpasses that are not near the expressway." Wallace said.  
  
"That will really narrow it down." Adam said.  
  
"Tell me Liu, do you still have the evidence?" Wallace asked.  
  
"You mean the chip?"  
  
"Yes." Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah, I still got it. How much longer is this going to take?" Liu asked.  
  
Adam's computer locked onto the signal.  
  
"We got it." Adam said.  
  
"Ok, Liu. We got it. We know where you are now. I'm going to be there personally in about twenty minutes to pick you up. You just stay there at the store and keep out of trouble, ok?" Wallace said.  
  
"Ok." Liu said.  
  
The two hung up their respective phones.  
  
Back at the crash site, Kazuya got up and walked away.  
  
8:26:59- Hwoarang was lying on the bed in Ling's room. The room was in a Victorian style. Very feminine, he thought. The color pattern was of bright reds and burgundies. The room also had a wood theme going. The bed he laid on had four banisters at the four corners of the bed. They were made of a cherry lacquered wood. In fact, he just noticed that every piece of wood in the room had was cherry lacquered. He got off the bed and walked over to the nightstand, wanting to see himself in the mirror.  
  
He was a bit surprised. His shirt was still off, and he was still wearing the same black Adidas pants he fought in. The bullet wound was all gauzed up again. There was a small bloodstain on it where it had tried to bleed through. His face was better than he expected. There was a piece of tissue up one nostril and a small bandage on the bridge of his nose. His jaw looked slightly swollen, but that wasn't what got him. He looked at his abs and noticed a really red area of skin around his waist. He touched it gingerly, trying not to cause any further pain to himself. It was sore to the touch. Even the most delicate touch ached. Chen's repeated attacks there were going to hurt for days to come, he figured.  
  
He noticed a note standing on the nightstand in front of him. Along with the note were two aspirin and a bottle of water. He gulped the pills and took a splash of water to wash them down. He looked at the note. It was from Ling.  
  
"Take these when you can. I need to talk to you about something. Meet me in Chen's office. There are some clothes in the closet."  
  
He dropped the note on the table and looked in the closet.  
  
Inside the small closet was his blue jeans, a black long sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. The light from the lamp on the nightstand shined on the clothes as if they were a gift from the heavens. He grabbed the clothes and quickly began to change.  
  
He wondered what Ling wanted to talk about. She probably was going to go over the details of the drug deal that was probably going to go down within the next couple hours. Buttoning the jeans, he wondered where the deal was taking place at. Time would tell if he would also be able to contact Wallace with the location. He slid the shirt on and began to put on the shoes.  
  
Should he tell Ling about his assignment? She might not help him then. She was probably in this thinking he was back just for her and the gang. Learning that he was actually undercover, working for an anti-terrorist squad might not go so well with her.  
  
He walked out of the bedroom into a small narrow hallway with not many doors. Two doors lined the hall, both locked. He walked up, coming to one last door. He opened it, and was out in the arena.  
  
Hwoarang didn't know how they did it so quickly, but the place was empty. No fans, no crowds to cheer his survival. Not hearing the cheers as he walked the empty floor was almost a disappointment. He was glad to be in charge of his gang again. It felt like an old glove, the crevices still there for your hand to fill.  
  
There was a long metal staircase at one end of the arena that had led to the "Miami" room. Sure enough, Ling was inside. She was at a small bar that sat on a small end table, fixing a drink.  
  
"Fix me one while you're at it." He said.  
  
She spun around, scared by his presence. Taking a deep breath, she continued to pour the clear liquid.  
  
"I'm so used to Chen walking up here. He never let me in if he wasn't here." She said.  
  
Hwoarang took a seat behind the desk. He leaned back in the chair, feeling comfortable.  
  
"How long have you been working from here?" he asked.  
  
"About four months now. We moved here to start a front." She said.  
  
"A front for what?" he asked, trying to seem surprised.  
  
"Drugs. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She said, bringing Hwoarang's galls over to him.  
  
"I see." He said, taking a sip of the drink.  
  
Ugh. He now remembered her usual drink: Gin and Tonic. How could she drink this crap? He hated the mix, but sipped it anyway. No need in disrespecting her now.  
  
"We have a deal going down in a little over an hour. It's a big one." She said.  
  
"What's the product?" he asked.  
  
"Ecstasy. We pay the dealer $200 million, he gives us the shipment. We bring it back here and then it hits the streets." She said.  
  
Jesus Christ, $200 million? How big could this shipment be? No wonder Wallace wanted this to go down; this was a shit load of cash they were dealing with.  
  
"Can the dealer be trusted?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. We've dealt with him before. This is just the biggest deal we've had with him so far." "And if we don't go through with this?" he asked.  
  
"Don't even talk about that. We don't do this deal we don't see the sun rise again. We'd be dead before midnight." She said.  
  
"Fine. When do we do this?" he asked.  
  
"We leave in thirty minutes. It's taking place at the docks." She said.  
  
When she finished, the two sat there for a moment, staring at each other. The uneasy silence finally broke when Ling moved for the door.  
  
"I'm going to go check on the men, make sure their ready." She said.  
  
She left the room, and Hwoarang sprang to action. He started searching the computer for records of Nina Williams. He picked up the phone.  
  
8:42:14- Wallace was in a Honda Accord, driving down to get Liu when his phone rang. It was Hwoarang.  
  
"What'd you got?" he asked.  
  
"Well, Chen's dead, I've got control of the gang, and we leave for the docks in thirty minutes." He said.  
  
"The deal's going down there? How much is the shipment worth?"  
  
"$200 million. And am I going to get busted for being the leader of this gang?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"No. You're in the clear for that. Any news on Nina?"  
  
"I'm checking on that now." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Well, we've gotten a bit of a story of our own over here." Wallace said.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Well, a scientist from the Mishima Labs came across a project that to this day has manufactured one million Combots. Now don't get ahead of yourself. The bots have the technology of a collective consciousness. Meaning, that what robot sees in one part of the city, every other bot sees it as well."  
  
"My god. What do we do?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"The scientist that tipped us off also stole the chip that activates their collective consciousness. The bots are fairly weaker than they were a couple hours ago." Wallace said.  
  
"So where are you now?"  
  
"Well, the scientist had gone to the police, and then some type of vampire attacked them. I'm guessing it was Kazuya. He took out everybody but this scientist. I'm on my way to picking him up now."  
  
"Be careful. I've fought Kazuya Mishima before, he almost killed me, and last I checked you weren't exactly fit." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I've got a gun, and I'm one hell of a marksman. I'll be fine." Wallace said.  
  
"Ok. Are teams going to be waiting at the docks?"  
  
"Call Adam over at the ATU. He'll get it moving. The teams are ready. We were just waiting on a location." Wallace said.  
  
"Ok. I better call him. Ling might be back any minute." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Ok. Take care." Wallace said.  
  
Wallace could see the bright lights of the store up ahead. He began worrying about Kazuya. If he showed up, he wouldn't be able to defend himself. There was no way in hell he could be a marksman, even if he tried. Now that he thought about it, it had been three years since he last qualified on the range back in D.C.  
  
He was two blocks away now, passing a man walking along the side of the road. He looked in the rearview mirror. Holy fucking shit! That man was Kazuya. He was still alive. He floored the car.  
  
8:48:54- Liu saw Wallace pull up. It was obvious to tell from the frantic speed the car was at.  
  
Wallace jumped out of the car and ran into the store. Liu was next to the counter. The clerk was sitting on a chair behind the same counter, smoking a cigarette.  
  
"We got to go, now!" Wallace said.  
  
"Can I see some ID?" Liu said.  
  
"Is this a joke? I just Kazuya two blocks ago! He's probably entering the lot as we speak!" Wallace said.  
  
Wallace could see the fear in the man's eyes. He didn't the ID after all. He followed Wallace out of the store.  
  
Sure enough, Kazuya was walking into the lot as they approached the car. Wallace pulled out his gun, silencer attached and fired at him.  
  
Kazuya yelled. A bullet pierced his chest. The man with the chip had just gotten into the car. A bullet whizzed by his head by mere inches. Kazuya kept his eyes focused on the man inside the car.  
  
Wallace fired about two more shots at Kazuya before finally getting in the car and driving off. That's when Kazuya sprang into action. He jumped into the air, landing on the front of the car, face on the windshield.  
  
Wallace put the pedal to the metal. The car sped off, and Kazuya hung on tight. Wallace fishtailed out of the lot, speeding down the road at a ludicrous speed.  
  
Kazuya started to punch at the windshield. One well placed punch later, the windshield cracked.  
  
He slammed on the brakes, and the vampire on the hood didn't know what hit him. Kazuya went flying backwards onto the pavement, skidding to a stop after about sixty feet.  
  
Wallace popped the car into reverse and sped backwards, pulling off a 180- degree turn. He sped off in the other direction.  
  
8:53:22- Hwoarang finally found what he was looking for. Chen had left a note for himself so he knew where Nina was. She was at the most expensive hotel in the city. In fact, it was also the tallest building in the city. She was staying in the penthouse. Very convenient, he thought. She'd be free of the snipers, seeing as high up she was.  
  
Ling walked in. She hadn't opened her mouth as soon as she came in, which was different.  
  
Hwoarang shut off the monitor. Ling walked over to him behind the desk.  
  
"There's something I want to tell you." She said.  
  
He remained silent.  
  
"I'm glad your back. I don't think I could stand Chen anymore." She said, starting to cry.  
  
"Ling..."  
  
"The truth is...I still love you." She said with full-blown tears now. He stood up. He put his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away a fresh tear.  
  
"I still love you, and it's all been one big lie." She said.  
  
"How could it be a lie?" he asked.  
  
"I've been working for the CIA since I came here. Tonight, I was supposed to bring down the leader of the gang during the drug bust. I was more than happy to do it when it was Chen. But then you showed up, and I don't want to hurt you." She said.  
  
He couldn't believe it. If she was CIA since she joined up, that meant she was a double agent for all of... three years. Shit. She was a good liar. But did she still love him?  
  
He didn't care. Not about the lies, or the love either. He embraced her, and she continued to cry with her head buried in his chest. He didn't know what to think. He could only be amazed at the fact that she had been pulling off a charade this long.  
  
8:58:04- Wallace was out of the residential district. Kazuya had scared him. He was shocked that he actually hit the bastard with the poor aim that he had. But one thing was for certain. He was going to hold onto the chip from now on. He pulled off to the side of the road.  
  
"Whoa. What are you doing?" Liu asked.  
  
The car idled a moment, then Wallace turned the engine off completely.  
  
"Give me the chip." He said.  
  
"I'm not giving this thing to anybody till I'm safe." Liu said.  
  
"Look. That thing might be back. And if you care about anybody at all, you'll give me the chip." Wallace said assertively.  
  
"I don't care. If I gave it to Detective Wong, it might be in that freak's hands back there." Liu said.  
  
Wallace pulled out his gun, silencer still attached.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing?" Liu asked, backing himself up against the door.  
  
Wallace had his other hand on the power locks. He locked the doors.  
  
"Give me the chip." Wallace said.  
  
"You're going to kill me?" Liu asked.  
  
"I don't want to." Wallace said.  
  
"You can't kill me. You work for the UN." Liu said.  
  
"I work for who I want to work for. Now, for the last time, give me the chip." Wallace said.  
  
Liu thought about it a moment. He then reached in his pocket for a moment, but then lashed out at the gun. But his reaction wasn't fast enough. Wallace fired. Liu's brains splattered against the passenger's side window. Wallace reached over and pulled the chip out of the dead man's pocket. He got out of the car and holstered his weapon. He looked at the chip for a moment, and then put it in his pocket.  
  
He then walked off, leaving the car behind.  
  
8:59:57... 8:59:58... 8:59:59... 9:00:00... 


	11. 9:00 pm 10:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
9:00:00- Heihachi was in his office. The bright lights of Tokyo shone through the windows. He had left the lights off, as usual when he was deep in thought.  
  
The chip was vital to the operation. The bots would not be able to operate correctly when the time came. He had assigned his own son to track it down. It had been over an hour since he last heard from him. He should have left that piece of shit dying on the floor of the dojo at the end of the last tournament.  
  
His original plan had to change. He originally wanted to start the next Iron Fist Tournament, and then release the bots. It would have been a bit of enjoyment on his side. The fighters that had beaten him every time wouldn't be able to handle one million fighting robots. He chuckled at the thought of the bots mercilessly beating the fighters to death.  
  
But none of that would happen without the chip. He had no idea how the man who took it got it out of the computer anyway. To even get inside the room, you would need a code that was only known to Heihachi himself, and Lee, who died about five hours ago. He knew he didn't give the code out to anybody, so who knew what it was?  
  
His phone rang. It was almost as if he didn't hear it. Heihachi was just ignoring its annoying buzz. He could see the blinking red light out of the corner of his eye. In the dark room, it was ten times brighter than it should be. Annoyed, he picked up the phone.  
  
"Yes." He said.  
  
"Mr. Mishima." A voice said.  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"Who I am is not important. What I have is very important." The voice said.  
  
"Get to the point." Heihachi said.  
  
"The chip you desire is in my hand as we speak. What is it worth to you?" the voice asked.  
  
"How do I know you actually have it? Are you the man who took it from the labs?" he asked. The voice laughed.  
  
"The scientist. Not a chance. He was an idiot to trust me. He's dead now, and I'm the new owner of the chip. And for proof? You won't be getting it. Not yet anyways." The voice said.  
  
"Then I'm afraid we don't have a deal." Heihachi said.  
  
"You know you can't afford to take that chance." The voice.  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"What do you want?" Heihachi finally asked.  
  
"$350 million, in a Swiss bank account in the name of Albert Wallace." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi smiled.  
  
"Agent Wallace. I thought it was you. We've never officially met, but I know who you are. You think you can blackmail me?"  
  
"I know I can. If you tell the authorities, all I have to do is take the chip back to my office and pretend like I came across it after that vampire of yours tried to attack us. If you pay me, I can make this all go away, and you get your chip back." Wallace said.  
  
"How do I know this isn't a setup?" Heihachi said.  
  
"Because I killed a witness in cold blood. I'm blackmailing you over a public line. If I wanted to arrest you, you would have been in custody by now." Wallace said.  
  
"Ok." Heihachi said.  
  
"And to further convince you, you choose the location." Wallace said.  
  
It took Heihachi a moment to think of a safe location.  
  
"The docks. South side, pier 37. There's a building in front of the pier itself. We'll meet on the roof in twenty-five minutes." Heihachi said.  
  
"Fine." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi hung up the phone. He stood against his desk in the dark room, looking out the window at the city. He sighed.  
  
9:09:22- Hwoarang was driving an SUV again. He and Ling were headed to the drop with two bodyguards. Ling didn't want a lot of men coming along, so she brought the two best men she had.  
  
The meeting was at the docks, pier 37. Ling had said that they were told to be there at least five minutes early.  
  
He was nervous. It wasn't the meet, it was his debating whether to tell Ling about him being undercover or not. It beginning to eat him alive, and that started when she said she was CIA. Wallace had said to not tell anybody, no matter what. To hell with his orders, he knew what was right.  
  
"Ling, there's something you should know." He said.  
  
She looked over at him.  
  
"Is about the meet?" she asked.  
  
"Yes and no. You guys back there listen up too. This involves your asses." He said.  
  
"What is it?" Ling asked.  
  
"I'm working for a special branch of the UN. An anti-terrorist squad." He said.  
  
Ling couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"I'm serious!" he said.  
  
Now there was dead silence in the SUV. Ling stared at Hwoarang, same as the guys in the backseat.  
  
"This really changes things." She said.  
  
"Guys, I work for the UN. Ling is with the CIA." Hwoarang said.  
  
Ling had her arm propped up against the window. Her head was buried in her hand.  
  
"What about the deal?" one of the men said.  
  
"I don't know yet. Ling? Any ideas?" Hwoarang asked,  
  
She was pissed. He could tell. She finally looked back at him with a death glare that he had never seen before.  
  
"How could you not tell me before we got in the vehicle?" she asked.  
  
"I was told not to. Ok? At least I told you at all." He said.  
  
"Well, since I'm not taking you into custody, I should strike a deal with you two back there. Help us make the deal go down and I'll grant you immunity." She said.  
  
"Whoa. You can do that?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yeah. I'm in charge of a couple cases. I can do things like that, but not too often. We should just take in the man who is dealing. You guys in or out?" she said.  
  
The two bodyguards looked at each other then at Ling.  
  
"Yes." They both said.  
  
"So, this dealer, he have a name?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yeah. Baek Doo San." She said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't think he heard her right.  
  
"Baek Doo San?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. Why?" she asked.  
  
"He's my father... and my mentor." Hwoarang said.  
  
9:14:20- Wallace was on his way to the docks as well, taking a taxi. The ride was quiet, thank God. He wasn't sure if he could take a talkative driver right now. There was a lot at stake here. He knew what he was going to do at the docks. His plan was foolproof.  
  
He took out his cell phone and dialed the ATU.  
  
"Adam Katoya, ATU." Adam said.  
  
"It's Wallace." He said.  
  
"Hey, Hwoarang called." Adam said.  
  
"I know. I told him to. Are the teams ready for the operation?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yeah. They're just waiting on a location." Adam said.  
  
"The south docks, pier 37." Wallace said.  
  
"Déjà vu."  
  
"Why do you say that?" Wallace said.  
  
"That's where Hwoarang's bust is going down." Adam said.  
  
"Jesus Christ. Double the men. My meet is on the roof of the building directly in front of the pier. Where's his at?"  
  
"On the pier itself." Adam said.  
  
"Great. Just make sure this goes down smoothly." Wallace said.  
  
"I will. Also, I found the location of that receiver."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Mishima Zaibatzu." Adam said.  
  
"I knew it." Wallace said.  
  
9:19:37- Heihachi walked into the lobby of his private bank. Its two-tone tan and white marble flooring reflected the fluorescent lighting that hung from the ceiling. The building was decorated like a stylish mansion would be in Greece. Plants almost littered the lobby, which was huge. The center section was completely empty. Heihachi imagined it was used to knock the customer's off guard with the sheer size of the building. Right now would be a perfect time for that very same reaction, seeing as he was the only in the lobby.  
  
Heihachi looked at the Checker's counter. It had the same type of marble as the floor, but little niches were inserted for the checker's to do their job. Behind the center-most counter was a door made of wood, with a little golden sign that read in English: "Private". A man opened the door and came out carrying a massive metal suitcase. Three more men followed him, each carrying an oversized metal suitcase. One final man trailed behind the men carrying the cases, and he had it easy. He wasn't carrying anything at all. It was he who came out into the lobby first to greet Heihachi.  
  
"Welcome back, Mr. Mishima! It's a pleasure to do business with you again." He said.  
  
The line was customary, as was his suit, which had the bank's logo on the right breast.  
  
"Is my money ready?" Heihachi asked.  
  
"Yes it is, sir. Ready and waiting." The man said.  
  
"I have a car waiting. They may load it in there."  
  
"It will be a pleasure sir." The man said. 9:25:43- Hwoarang drove through the open gates leading to the section of piers that he wanted.  
  
The docks were built off in sections. First, you had to decide whether you wanted the north dock or the south dock. After that, you had to decide which section of piers you wanted. If you wanted piers 1-15, you took that turnoff, 16-30, that turnoff, etc. It was well-built, but any foreigner who didn't know Japanese could easily get lost or killed, depending on the group of fishermen they ran into. Some of the groups out here were known members of the Japanese Triads, and they could give two shits about foreigners.  
  
The docks were very well lit. There wouldn't be the slightest chance of hiding in a place like this. The car already was lit up like a Christmas tree. Any sniper from a mile away could see them.  
  
Hwoarang just hoped the teams were here and in place. He stopped the SUV in the middle of the road. He thought it was well-placed, seeing as the water was to his left, and a building was to his right. He parked and shut off the vehicle.  
  
"I want to know how you came into contact with my father." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't know about that." Ling said.  
  
"I'm not worried about that. How did he get involved?"  
  
"To tell you the truth, we used to deal with someone else. Then your dad came in. I'm guessing he's higher up than the other man we had originally dealt with." Ling said.  
  
Hwoarang saw a pair of headlights far off in the distance. He wasn't sure of how, but there seemed to be another way to get directly to this pier. In the bright lights, he could tell that it was black. Given the speed, it would be at their location in about one minute. Hwoarang took a deep breath. He was nervous. He glanced around the area, hoping that the teams he called Adam for were in place. So far, he didn't see anything. The car stopped about twenty feet away. Hwoarang got out of the car, as did Ling and the two bodyguards.  
  
The two doors of the BMW opened, and out of the left side came Baek Doo San, and an unknown man came out of the right. Hwoarang didn't recognize the unknown man, but he did look British. Upon looking over at Baek, Hwoarang noticed a strange collar around his neck. It definitely didn't belong to the stylish Armani suit he was wearing.  
  
"Ling, my dear! Who is the friend you brought along?" the British man asked.  
  
"This is the new leader of the gang: Hwoarang Doo San." Ling said.  
  
"And what happen to Chen?" the man asked.  
  
"I killed him." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Pity. I liked him. Oh well. Shall we get down to business?" the man said.  
  
"Sure. Who're you again?" Hwoarang said.  
  
The man frowned. He almost looked angry, as if somebody talked back to him.  
  
"Drake Matthews. Remember it." Drake said.  
  
Ling opened her door and pulled out a briefcase. There was no way it could have contained $200 million. That left only one possibility: bearer bonds, just as good as cash and twice as easy to carry. Ling walked over to Drake and handed him the briefcase.  
  
"One thing: What's my father got to do with this?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I was about to get to that. But since you insist are rushing things..." Drake said.  
  
Drake snapped his fingers and Baek walked to Ling. Hwoarang didn't even notice the case he was holding. Baek handed it off to Ling. Ling set the case on the hood.  
  
She was hesitant. What was Drake doing here? Her belief that Baek was in charge was faltering. The way Drake snapped his fingers at Baek showed he had control, and she began to remember how intimidating Drake was. She glanced over at Hwoarang, who was giving Drake a death glare. She was curious as to how great the relationship was between Hwoarang and his father. The case's locks snapped open, and Ling raised the lid. Sure enough, twelve big bags filled to the brim with little blue pills were inside. All together there should have been plenty enough Ecstasy to serve the city.  
  
Hwoarang looked over at her. Ling nodded to him. That was the sign that he was waiting for. He wanted to kill Drake for humiliating his father. Hwoarang pulled out his gun and pointed it at Drake.  
  
"That's enough." Hwoarang said.  
  
Drake didn't even flinch. There was no emotion on his face. He just looked over at Hwoarang casually. Drake was smooth, casual, and one hell of a madman. He once shot his best friend in the head just to satisfy himself the pleasure of running his own drug ring. His friend tries to promote a business opportunity and Drake just killed him for talking out of turn. Talk about being heartless. Here he was a statue.  
  
Hwoarang didn't like uncomfortable silences. His gun was centered on Drake, and Ling had joined in as soon as she confirmed that the drugs were in the case. Where the hell was the team he asked for?  
  
"Did it ever occur to you that you are in way over your head?" Drake asked. Hwoarang then felt the cold sting of a gun barrel against the back of his head.  
  
"Shit." He said.  
  
He should have killed the bodyguards when he had the chance.  
  
9:36:15- Wallace waited atop the building in front of pier 37. He thought he was alone, but he had no clue that he was in fact only a seven-story drop away from being with Hwoarang.  
  
Heihachi hadn't arrived yet, and that was expected. But he should be here any minute now. Wallace was sure everything was in place. This had to go down flawlessly. Otherwise, he would have lost the element of surprise.  
  
The rooftop was fairly small. About fifty feet away was the stairwell, and about five feet from that was the edge of the roof. The other edge was about ten feet behind him.  
  
Heihachi walked through the door to the roof. He had three bodyguards with him. The odd thing was the fact that Heihachi was taller than all of them. All three guards carried a case that seemed heavy.  
  
It was almost like a standoff. Wallace stood on one side all by himself, like the sheriff in western shootout movies. Heihachi was the bad guy who rode into town with his posse.  
  
"Do you have the money?" Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi nodded to his men. They walked about half the distance between them and dropped the cases. Wallace just stood there, but the three men kept their eyes on Wallace, as if he was going to make a move. The men moved back behind Heihachi.  
  
"Where's the chip?" Heihachi asked.  
  
Wallace nodded to the stairwell door.  
  
"It's on the door in a small plastic case." Wallace said.  
  
One of Heihachi's men walked over to the door. Sure enough, there was a small case taped to the door. The man took it off. He turned back to Heihachi with a confused look on his face.  
  
"What is it?" Heihachi asked.  
  
"There's nothing in this thing." He said.  
  
Heihachi turned back to Wallace.  
  
"Where is the chip?" Heihachi asked.  
  
"What can I say? It's my lucky day." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi pulled out a gun and pointed it at Wallace.  
  
"It sure is." Heihachi said.  
  
Suddenly, the stairwell door burst open. A SWAT team rushed through the door. A helicopter came out of nowhere and shined a light down on the roof. Heihachi's men turned to open fire on the SWAT team, but were being taken down by the quick reaction speeds of the SWAT officers.  
  
9:41:08- Shots could be heard down below, and Hwoarang used that to his advantage.  
  
The man still holding the gun to his head had become distracted and the next thing he knew was that his gun was out of his hand and a foot had hit him hard enough in the face to make him kiss the ground.  
  
Ling took care of her guard the same way. A quick sidestep to the right, and a nicely placed kick to the face took care of things.  
  
The meeting had gone sour. As soon as the guards put guns to their heads, Drake took the drugs and the cash. He was probably about to have the guards kill them. Then the shots rang off from the roof.  
  
Hwoarang took care of his guard fast enough to just catch a glimpse of Drake jumping in the car and beginning to drive off, without Baek. He did what his first reaction was, getting in the SUV and pursuing the bastard.  
  
He would have to worry about Ling and Baek later. He wasn't about to lose this guy. He had too many questions to beat out of him.  
  
9:41:41- Heihachi's men were down. The SWAT team was at a standoff with Heihachi who was still holding the gun. He was surrounded. Wallace came up behind the SWAT team.  
  
"It's over Heihachi. There's nowhere to go." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi seemed defiant, even when he had lost. A small flicker of reality had to have crossed his mind. Either that or he was afraid of death, because he dropped the gun. The SWAT team tackled him to the ground. Wallace took a portable radio from his back pocket.  
  
"Control, this is Wallace. We have the ball." He said.  
  
9:43:59- Hwoarang had the pedal to the floor. He wished the piece of shit would go faster. The engine of an oversized SUV had about enough moving power as that of a $13,000 sedan with a 4-cylandar engine. It was pathetic, because Drake had a BMW with a V-8 engine. It had to have been that.  
  
The only luck Hwoarang had of catching up was the traffic. Even at night, Tokyo still had tremendous amounts of traffic. And around these parts was especially true.  
  
A horn blasted by as he sped through a red light. Ahead was another red light, and Drake had to slam on his brakes and swerve out of another car's way. Hwoarang's chance had come. Drake had probably slowed down for all of two seconds, which would be longer when he would try to accelerate. Hwoarang, though, was still going at top speed.  
  
Drake though, noticed it and took a left turn suddenly, almost clipping a parked car. Hwoarang pulled the emergency brake and fishtailed, taking the same turn, and almost hitting the same car.  
  
Now they were on a very busy street. The lanes congested, Drake and Hwoarang began weaving in and out of traffic. Drake had better handling and better horsepower for the size of vehicle, so he was able to get farther ahead of Hwoarang. He couldn't risk getting into a crash, or being captured by Hwoarang. He had to improvise.  
  
The next thing Hwoarang saw was one that he couldn't believe. Drake had a MP5 in the car and opened fire on another vehicle with innocent civilians. The car turned, right into three different lanes. Hwoarang swerved, sideswiping a smaller car and pushing it up into oncoming traffic. The pileup passed by him just barely, and Hwoarang sped up. Drake had taken another turn-off, and Hwoarang followed.  
  
9:50:32- Wallace was walking out of the building to find Ling and Baek Doo San. He recognized Ling and pulled out his gun on the two.  
  
"Freeze!" he screamed.  
  
"Whoa! Wait! I'm with Hwoarang!" she yelled out.  
  
"Really. Then where is he?" Wallace said.  
  
"He went off to chase the dealer." She said.  
  
Wallace look down next to her. There were two men lying on the ground, unconscious.  
  
"Who are they?" he asked.  
  
"They were supposed to protect me and Hwoarang, but they must have been planted. I don't really know for sure." She said.  
  
"And him?" Wallace said, gesturing to Baek.  
  
"I haven't really figured him out yet. All I know is that he has some sort of a bomb around his neck. He won't let me touch it. Other than that, I don't know." She said.  
  
Wallace looked at Baek.  
  
"Do you work with Hwoarang?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. Why?" Wallace said.  
  
"He told me a team was waiting. What happened?" she said.  
  
Wallace put his gun down and holstered it.  
  
"That would be my fault. You see, even though we're UN, it's still an up- and-coming agency. I needed a team, and so did he. It was at the same location, but not enough time to scramble two different teams. I had a bigger operation going down, so I took the team." Wallace said.  
  
"I see." She said.  
  
Wallace nodded to Baek.  
  
"So what's your story?" Wallace said.  
  
"I'm Hwoarang's father. I had become a bit depressed when he left with the army. I started using, then selling. Then tonight, Drake attacked me, but a bomb on my neck and told me that I would die if I didn't do what he said." Baek said.  
  
"Short and to the point. I like that." Wallace said.  
  
9:55:55- Hwoarang was coming up right next to Drake's car. He already had his sidearm out, ready to start shooting at Drake, who had already blasted out his own back window, trying to hit Hwoarang with a small spray of bullets. So far, he was unsuccessful.  
  
Drake put his MP5 out of the window and began to aim when Hwoarang started firing at him. Then Drake took the BMW and rammed it alongside Hwoarang's SUV. It didn't help much, but Hwoarang still needed to steady the vehicle.  
  
The two were now on the highway, and they were in a small portion of the road where no cars were very present. The nearest one was about a quarter mile back.  
  
Hwoarang took aim for Drake's tires and fired. The sparks showed that the bullets hit nothing but the framework of the BMW. His gun's slide locked back. It was out of ammo.  
  
"Dammit!" Hwoarang yelled.  
  
The road was rising up now, about to enter the bridge that crossed the river. Construction was starting here on an addition to the bridge. The crews were at work now, and a small portion of the stone blockades that stopped people from flying off the side of the bridge were removed. Signs were everywhere and lights were nearly blinding in order to keep people away from that portion or bridge.  
  
A hail of bullets came into the vehicle, causing him to duck. Then came more gunshots, but not to the inside of the SUV, but to the tires.  
  
Hwoarang immediately lost control of the vehicle. It swerved back and forth, weaving in and out of every lane available.  
  
The vehicle curved into the construction zone and drove off the bridge, falling towards the river.  
  
9:59:57... 9:59:58... 9:59:59... 10:00:00... 


	12. 10:00 pm 11:00 pm

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
10:00:00- It was quiet inside the basement of the ATU. Down on this floor was the medical center and computer systems. Here was the heart of the building, the blood on which everything ran. On one side you had the computerized part of the floor, which housed the network servers. If anyone were to get inside there and fiddle with the boards inside the supercomputer that the network required, the building would cease to function normally. To this day, that has never happened.  
  
The halls were silent, as they would be at this time of night. Nobody would normally be in the medical center at this time, unless somebody called a doctor in on an emergency shift.  
  
The center had a small morgue in case a body was discovered during a case investigation. Autopsies could be performed here. Terry Branch was here earlier to perform an autopsy on Jin Kazama, whose body was in one of the lockers that lined a wall inside the center. Right now, nobody was in here.  
  
A building guard doing his regular shift walked down the halls of the basement. He had finished checking the computer rooms, where the electrical units and network servers were. Now he was about to check the medical center.  
  
He walked up to the keypad and had entered two of the six numbers of the code when the doors opened. That shouldn't have happened.  
  
He walked into the center. The main room was literally pitch black. He couldn't see a thing. Not even the punch that sent him sprawling out into the hallway.  
  
A naked Japanese man walked out into the hallway, and began to take the guard's clothes.  
  
10:04:23- Hwoarang was frantically trying to get the doors of the SUV open as it began to sink into the river.  
  
All the windows were up, and the car was beginning to become a tomb. So far the SUV was idle on top of the water. But Hwoarang knew that the SUV would soon tip either front first or back first. He had to get out.  
  
He pulled out his gun, about to shoot the window, but noticed that his slide was locked back. He checked the clip, it was empty. He had no extra magazines ready. He was out of ammo. The car finally began to tip forward as he climbed into the backseat. He needed to find something quickly. There was nothing under the seat or in the back of the SUV itself.  
  
The entire vehicle was underwater now.  
  
"Shit!" he yelled, panicking.  
  
He finally scrambled to look inside the glove compartment. He nervously laughed out loud. There was a giant sized Mag-lite inside the glove box. He grabbed it.  
  
The vehicle landed at the bottom of the river front first. Hwoarang headed for the back of the vehicle. He began pounding at the window. The first smack did nothing, but the second made a small crack. The third caused a quick spit of water to fly through onto his face. He took a deep breath and hit the window once more. It gave out, and water immediately poured through.  
  
The water pushed Hwoarang back to the middle of the vehicle. He gasped for air once more as the SUV quickly filled with water. His lungs full of air; he exited the vehicle through the broken window, and made his way to the surface.  
  
10:08:03- Wallace had taken Baek and Ling to his car when the accident report came over his radio. That was six minutes ago.  
  
Right now, he was driving along the waterfront, trying to get to the bridge. It was in clear view too; an enormous bridge that seemed to be the only connection over the river.  
  
"Do you think it's Hwoarang?" Ling said.  
  
"They said it was an SUV right?" Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah, they did." Baek said.  
  
"He was driving an SUV." Ling said.  
  
Wallace blew right through a red light, cars slamming on their brakes in his wake. They were almost there.  
  
Ling could see construction workers standing along the water's edge, waiting to see if anyone would surface.  
  
Wallace pulled the car to a stop and rushed out of the car. That was when Hwoarang came up out of the water.  
  
He gasped for air, as if it was a long way down to the bottom. Along the edge was Wallace, Ling, Baek, and about a half dozen construction workers. He swam towards them. "This day is going to be the death of me." He said, aloud.  
  
He reached the shore to the plethora of waiting arms, dragging him to shore. Not that he needed it; it was customary for people to help people who had just been in horrifying accidents. Hwoarang didn't care. Hey, at least he was at the bottom, suffocating. He sat on the dirty ground, looking back at the spot in the water he had risen.  
  
Wallace came up to him and noticed he was trying to catch his breath.  
  
"Long day?" Wallace asked.  
  
"You know I'd probably hit you for asking that if you weren't with the UN, right?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Yeah. I know."  
  
"By the way, what the hell are you doing here?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Well, that may be a bit of a long story, but what the hell. I was at the pier along with you." Wallace said.  
  
It took a second for the information to register Hwoarang's brain, but when it did, he turned and looked at Wallace with a questionable look on his face.  
  
"What the hell happened to my team then?" he asked.  
  
"I had to supercede in that one and took the team for myself. We got Heihachi." Wallace said.  
  
"Oh man. Nice one." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang stood up and lightly punched Wallace in the stomach. Wallace didn't double over, but there was no doubt that the punch hurt.  
  
"That's for almost getting me killed." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Ok. Sorry about that. Jeez." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang walked off. Wallace went to chase after him.  
  
"Hey hold it." Wallace said.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"What happened at Chen's?" Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang stopped walking away. He turned around just as Wallace caught up with him.  
  
"Chen's dead. I killed him, and now I have my gang back. I don't need this stinking job where I almost get killed every hour, on the hour." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Then if you have the gang back, I could bust you for trying to buy the biggest amount of Ecstasy this city's ever seen." Wallace said.  
  
"You're fucking kidding me. You can't do that, its entrapment." Hwoarang said.  
  
Wallace turned Hwoarang around and began to slap handcuffs on him.  
  
"I don't care what it is. You were trying to buy ecstasy, and in the process, got innocent civilians killed and pretty much wrecked government property that we now have to fish out of the river." Wallace said.  
  
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Well, you what? These cuffs can come off. You want to know how?" Wallace said.  
  
Here it comes, Hwoarang thought. Another lecture from dear old Wallace.  
  
"What?" he said, playing along.  
  
Wallace moved up to his ear.  
  
"You stop your bitching and you do your fucking job." Wallace said.  
  
"Fine." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Now what about the man you were chasing?"  
  
Wallace began to take the cuffs off.  
  
"Drake Matthews. He was driving a black BMW. I think it was a 740il. I'm not exactly sure. But he has the money and the drugs." Hwoarang said.  
  
The cuffs had been pretty tight, so Hwoarang began rubbing his wrists.  
  
"Ok. We'll put out a search for it. I'm guessing it's pretty shot up?" Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What did you get on Nina?" Wallace asked.  
  
"She's in a suite over at the Park Hyatt." Hwoarang said. "Very plush. I want you to go over there and get her. I'm going back to the ATU and grill Heihachi." Wallace said.  
  
"What about my father, not to mention a ride and a gun?" Hwoarang said.  
  
Wallace pulled out his sidearm and handed it to Hwoarang. He then walked over to one of the construction workers.  
  
"Hey, you the foreman?" Wallace said, in Japanese.  
  
"Yeah." The man responded.  
  
"You got a car? I have an agent that needs it." Wallace said.  
  
"And how am I going to be insured?" the man asked.  
  
Wallace pulled out his card and handed it to the man.  
  
"We'll take care of it and get it back to you. If you have questions, feel free to call." Wallace said.  
  
The man handed over his keys. Wallace then tossed them over to Hwoarang.  
  
"There you go. And about your father? I'll take care of him." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't know whether to take that as a blessing or a curse. He left the site and walked over to the lot nearby where the car was parked.  
  
10:20:10- Wallace got back in the SUV where Ling and Baek were. He seemed pissed about a lot of things, mainly Hwoarang.  
  
He was happy that Hwoarang was able to get the job done, it was just the fact that he was getting bitchy the first chance he could. But He really couldn't blame him, thought. He was told to protect Jin. That was it. There were no strings attached, no small print. It was a test to see if he was fit to do the job.  
  
Wallace knew people would come after Jin, and if Hwoarang could protect him, then he could have the job of running the ATU if he wanted. Wallace currently had the job and he was trying to hand it off because he was being sent higher up. His superiors didn't care who it was, as long as he could do the job. He just didn't think Hwoarang's test would end up like this.  
  
What had started as a simple serve and protect turned out to be a full- blown mission. He was asked to protect attack, uncover the villains, go undercover, and pull of a sting operation. Even Wallace wasn't sure if he could do all that in just under twelve hours. It was tricky. Now, Hwoarang was off to find Nina Williams, and Wallace had to deal with Ling and Baek. Ling was supposed to be one of the bad guys working for Chen Hendrix. She would have been busted as an accomplice, but that was shot to hell the second she said she was CIA.  
  
As for Baek, who knew? He was Hwoarang's father, and he had a bomb strapped to his neck.  
  
Wallace turned the vehicle around and exited the area around the construction and began to head back to the ATU.  
  
He looked in the rear-view mirror at Baek.  
  
"So what's your story?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Don't I get a lawyer of some sort?" Baek asked.  
  
"Not in my jurisdiction, you don't."  
  
"The man I worked with put a bomb on my neck for some unknown reason. All I can say is that it hasn't been armed yet." Baek said.  
  
"Drake Matthews?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How long have you known him?"  
  
"I've known him for a year, but today was the first day I met him." Baek said.  
  
"When, where, and how?" Wallace asked.  
  
Baek hesitated. He wasn't sure if he had been unknowingly bugged by Drake, but oh well. If he didn't say, Wallace was probably going to beat it out of him anyway.  
  
"I was strapped for cash a couple years ago. I was depressed, and I started using heroin. I got my fixes by getting into street fights, beating up drunk people and taking their money, and probably half a dozen other methods. Then about a year ago, I was asked by my dealer if I'd be interested in helping him out. I did, and my payments were in drugs. My fix was my paycheck. I began working for dealers all over the place. I was a collector. They couldn't pay up, I made them pay up. I've been doing that ever since. Then yesterday, I get a call from the big man. Drake Matthews wanted me to protect him at business deal. I agreed, and when I go to meet him, he made me wear this collar. Then he tells me it's a bomb and if I try to fight, he'll blow it up. I didn't know what to do." Baek said.  
  
Wallace knew the "used" look when he saw it, and that's what he was getting when he looked at Baek. With the bomb on his neck, he'd have to place him somewhere safe for the ATU, just in case it detonates while he's there.  
  
10:27:34- Hwoarang was driving his way towards the Park Hyatt hotel. This wasn't as urgent as most of the day's events were, but it needed to be done.  
  
Why was this happening to him? He never asked for any of this to happen. Jin and his death, the ATU, Wallace, Ling, Baek, his getting shot, his getting the gang back, and his killing Chen was something he never asked for.  
  
Most things never really bothered him, unless it something he was forced to do. Everything today felt forced on him. His range of emotions was broad right now. Not only was he pissed, but he was depressed, a little psychotic, and a little tired. The transfusion from earlier left him with a good sized headache, and he hadn't had the chance to down a few aspirin yet.  
  
What he wanted more than anything was just for this damned day to end. He could feel it now, and the thought was so blissful that he began to close his eyes and feel a good sleep coming on. His head started to fall back onto the seat. The car then began to drift.  
  
His phone rang and he jolted awake in time to swerve away from an oncoming car. He picked up the phone. He thought it was dead after his swim in the river. He also forgot how cold he was, seeing that his shirt was still soaked. He picked up the phone.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
He fumbled to turn to heat on full-blast inside the car.  
  
"Hwoarang Doo San." Drake said.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" he said.  
  
"Well, I originally wanted your attention. I see that I have it." Drake said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't respond.  
  
"I believe you saw the collar that your father was wearing?" Drake said.  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"I want Julia Chang. She is currently at the ATU being debriefed and protected. That's where you come in. You are going to get her out." Drake said.  
  
"And if I don't, you detonate the bomb." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Correct, but seeing as you and your father haven't exactly been close, your father's death is strike one. Strike two is much more consequential. I believe you know about the one million Combots in the bottom of the Mishima Labs?" Drake asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"If you receive strike two, the Combots will release a virus in the city. It is so devastating that everyone in Tokyo will be dead within the week, and the jet stream will carry the virus all over the world. So you see Hwoarang, releasing it will have global repercussions." Drake said.  
  
"If I ever find you, I'll kill you. Do you understand me?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Your father's bomb is now armed. Talk like that again, and he'll be dead." Drake said.  
  
"You want Julia Chang?"  
  
"Yes. You must have her within two hours. If not, that will be either strike one, or strike two if you don't behave." Drake said.  
  
"Where?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"I'll call you at the deadline. And as a warning: if you tell anyone at the ATU, I'll know." Drake said.  
  
The line disconnected. Drake had hung up.  
  
"Son of a bitch." Hwoarang said.  
  
10:35:51- Wallace walked through the front doors of the ATU. He was rushing. Baek heard a whirring sound on the collar bomb, and Wallace figured it had been armed.  
  
"Adam!" he yelled as he dragged Baek in through the doors.  
  
Adam came rushing to him.  
  
"Yeah." Adam yelled back.  
  
"I need a bomb squad in secure room C! We got an armed device on this guy's neck and it could blow in any minute. Move!" Wallace said.  
  
Adam ran to a phone. Wallace continued to run with Baek down the main corridor. He took a left, which led to a hallway that dragged around to the back of the building. He opened one door and threw Baek inside.  
  
"I'm sorry to do this to you, but you have to stay here. Just for our safety, but I'm sending a bomb squad in to get that thing off of you." Wallace said.  
  
Adam was on the phone ordering a bomb squad to the room when Wallace came over to him.  
  
"Adam."  
  
"I got the squad on its way." Adam said.  
  
"Good. I need you to take a small team over to Mishima Labs. There's a secret lab in the basement. That's where these things should be." Wallace said.  
  
"What about that guy who had the chip?" Adam asked.  
  
"He's dead." Wallace said.  
  
"How?"  
  
"You didn't hear?"  
  
By the curious look on his face, it was obvious Adam hadn't. In fact, nobody at the ATU had the information Wallace did.  
  
"It turns out that he was hired by Lee Chaolan to steal the chip. I don't know why yet." Wallace said.  
  
"How did he die?" Adam asked.  
  
"I asked for the chip. When he didn't hand it over, I pulled my gun and asked again. He then attacked me and I shot him. He died. Now get over to the labs." Wallace said.  
  
"What about you?" Adam asked.  
  
"I'm going to go grill Heihachi." Wallace said.  
  
Adam walked off and Wallace noticed Ling off in the distance, waiting by the doors. Wallace walked over to her. She knew the lecture she was going to get, and she may or may not deserve it. He didn't care. There were way too many questions that needed to be answered.  
  
"How you doing?" Wallace asked.  
  
"I'm fine." She said.  
  
"I need to ask you some questions. Basically about what the hell are you doing with the CIA." Wallace said.  
  
"Fine. I'll answer what I can." She said.  
  
"What was your assignment here?" he asked.  
  
"Drake Matthews was somebody the CIA had been after for a while. The reason we jumped on the opportunity was because nobody had really seen him before. This was an operation where I would have planted a tracking device in the money. He would now have the money and if he didn't pull a fast one on us, He'd probably be in custody by now." She said.  
  
"What's the connection with Chen?"  
  
"He was the one who had access to Drake. I went undercover originally with Hwoarang for over the past few years. I had a new life, and then Hwoarang leaves for the army, and Chen took over. Tonight, Hwoarang comes back in, kills Chen in a fight for the gang, and wins." She said.  
  
"I see. Anything else I should know about?" he asked.  
  
"No. That's all." She said.  
  
He knew she was holding back. The bullshit look on her face was something he could see right through.  
  
10:42:30- Hwoarang through the front doors of the building that contained the Park Hyatt Hotel. The hotel itself was contained in the building's three towers and was restricted to the top fourteen floors, which meant that the room was fairly limited, compared to other hotels within the city. But where it lacked in quantity, it definitely made up in the quality department.  
  
The rooms were usually plush, packed with silk pajamas given out by the hotel, mini bar, 24-hour room service, silk bed sheets, and one hell of a view. These were only a few of the services and features the rooms of the hotel, but Hwoarang figured that there were probably dozens of others that were only in the suites, which is where Nina was.  
  
There were four different suites, and she was in Suite B, according to Chen's files.  
  
The lobby of the building was like that of a business complex on high alert. Two metal detectors sat on either side of a security station. Currently, there was one guard on duty, and he was busy reading a magazine. From what Hwoarang could tell, the metal detectors were off. That was what he hoped, at least, due to the fact that he had a gun on him. Sadly, it wasn't a Glock. Most Glocks were made of a type of plastic that if concealed well enough, it wouldn't be detected. He walked thorough the detector and then realized that the guard on duty was actually asleep. Not surprising, given the fact that he was busy reading "Popular Science". He didn't blame the man. Hwoarang knew he would fall asleep reading that trash.  
  
He walked over to the elevators. There were about twelve of them in all, six on each side of the building. He walked over to one and hit the button, and as if on cue, the doors opened. He went inside and hit the button for the highest possible floor.  
  
When the doors opened, he came out in the lobby floor of the Park Hyatt. There was a registration desk, and three more elevators. Again, the lobby was made to look about as plush and extravagant as the rooms. He walked over to the other elevator and hit the button. He wasn't as lucky this time. He was going to have to wait.  
  
10:46:55- Wallace stood in a room adjacent to Heihachi's interrogation room. He could see the older man through the glass window. Heihachi was looking at him directly, as if he could sense him. It was creepy seeing Heihachi like that. The man was so good at playing the cool act when it came to the authorities. That's why Wallace was in here thinking before he went in to question him.  
  
There were so many questions that needed to be asked. What was he planning to do with the Combots? What was up with his son, Kazuya? Why the cover up with Julia Chang's Combot? There was an endless list that he could pick from.  
  
Right now, there was a forensics team heading over to Heihachi's office. Wallace had a signed warrant to search the whole building.  
  
But that wasn't what bugged him. What bugged him was the rivalry between Heihachi and Lee Chaolan. The connection with Lee was discovered a couple hours ago when the statement for Liu Pang Ho was issued over the city. Wallace had recognized the name, and he did some investigating. Sure enough, he found the name when he went through Lee's records. He was thankful for placing the bug in Heihachi's computer systems earlier that day. Wallace was able to go through company records and he found Liu's name under Lee's checkbook statements. Lee paid Liu $1 million in a lump sum. He didn't know why at the time, but then when Liu wouldn't hand over the chip, Wallace had figured it out. Either Lee wanted Liu to steal it, and he would collect it later; or Lee wanted him to steal it and then destroy it somehow. Wallace had his money on the first option.  
  
Wallace walked into the interrogation room. Heihachi never flinched or hesitated. He was a statue. But Wallace wasn't afraid of that. In fact, that intrigued him.  
  
"You want to know why he stole the chip?" Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi was silent.  
  
"Because he was hired to do it." Wallace said. Heihachi looked up at the still standing Wallace, who was leaning up against the wall.  
  
"By whom?" Heihachi asked.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know. I could tell you if you answer something for me." Wallace said.  
  
"I'm not saying anything to you." Heihachi said.  
  
Wallace stood there, contemplating his next move.  
  
"Your wasting your time. You won't get anything out of me." Heihachi said.  
  
"I doubt that. We have many ways of making you talk. We can play it easy, and you can tell me everything right now. Or I'll ask somebody to join me, and you can tell me while I slowly make you wish you were never born." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi was defiant. He didn't say a word.  
  
"Fine. Have it your way." Wallace said.  
  
He left the room.  
  
10:51:04- Hwoarang was on the top floor. He had his gun out and was walking out towards the suite. He was silent with his footsteps. He leaned up against the wall next to the door.  
  
He wasn't sure what she did for homemade security measures, but he figured silence was his best bet. If she knew he was coming, he was a dead man.  
  
Looking down at the crack under the door, he could see that she had the lights on. He was lucky, though. The lighting in the hallway was dim, with only a few spotlights at certain places in the hall.  
  
He placed himself on his stomach and tried to look through the crack on the floor. At this rate, all he would be able to see is feet, and he didn't see any.  
  
Next he was pulling a risky move and actually trying the door. It was locked.  
  
He didn't necessarily want to get shot, but he needed to get in there. Kicking down the door and barging in would only result in him getting shot, so that was a no go. He decided on the only option he had left.  
  
"Nina! It's Hwoarang. We need to talk!" he yelled.  
  
He swore to himself under his breath. How stupid could he be? The door flung open, but nobody was there. He peeked into the room, seeing nobody inside the room. He took his gun and entered.  
  
Once inside, he could see the little niches of each corner of the room. But he didn't linger on them too long. He turned around to face the doorway, and there was Nina, holding a silenced pistol. It was less than an inch away from his face.  
  
"Put down your gun." She said quietly.  
  
He had his hands in the air already, and with it, he dropped the heavy Beretta onto the floor. It landed with a loud thud. Hwoarang was thankful it didn't misfire.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Originally? I came here to arrest you." He said.  
  
That wasn't what he should have said. Her eyes widened and her grip on the gun tightened.  
  
"But, I got a call a few minutes ago. I'm here now, because I need your help." He said.  
  
"Why?" she said.  
  
She was a professional. Sure, she was surprised that he was here in the first place, but she could deal with it. She knew what to do in a situation like this.  
  
"A man named Drake Matthews has put a bomb on my father, and he will detonate it if I don't get him Julia Chang." He said.  
  
"Then why do you need my help?" she asked.  
  
"Because she is inside the ATU and I'll need help getting her out." He said.  
  
"Why should I? Why can't I just kill you?" she said.  
  
"Because my superior knows about you being here, and if I don't return soon, they'll figure I'm dead. And if that happens, you'll have agents busting down the door within the next hour." He said.  
  
"You're alone?" she said.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
"Fine." She said.  
  
She put the gun down. Hwoarang let out a deep sigh as he took his hands down. He plopped down on the bed.  
  
"That was intense." He said to himself.  
  
Nina took a quick look into the hallway and then finally shut the door. She then walked back over to Hwoarang.  
  
"How did you find me?" she asked.  
  
"Chen's computer had a record of safe houses and who was staying in them. You're name was the only one on his list." He said.  
  
"I see. What happened to Chen?"  
  
"He's dead. I fought him and broke his neck." He said.  
  
"What about Ling?" she asked.  
  
"She's fine, she's probably over at the ATU getting grilled by my boss." He said.  
  
"How much has she told you?"  
  
"Other than the fact that she works for the CIA and was trying to bust Drake for selling ecstasy, not much." He said.  
  
"Well, then she hasn't told you much, and I won't say another word until I get her to give you clearance." She said.  
  
"Whoa, wait a sec. You're working with Ling?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah." She said.  
  
"That's great. It just adds to the already long list of questions that this day has given me." He said.  
  
"You have no idea. No what do we do about Julia?" she asked.  
  
"Well, first we have to get back to the ATU. Julia should have been debriefed by now, and there's no telling how much longer she'll be there." He said.  
  
"Couldn't you just call your boss and tell him about Drake's threat?" she asked.  
  
"Drake said he'd know if I tried contacting Wallace. He's my boss." He said, realizing that he never did mention Wallace's name before.  
  
"Well then we better get going." She said.  
  
They headed for the door, and that's when the lights went out.  
  
10:59:57... 10:59:58... 10:59:59... 11:00:00...  
  
Author's note: Wow. I can't believe how long this story is becoming. I'm ecstatic about it! I've never written anything this long before and it's almost scary knowing the fact that's it's almost half over. The one thing I constantly worry about is wondering if the material is too predictable or not. I hope it's not too predictable. But I should have the halfway chapter up sometime this weekend, I hope. 


	13. 11:00 pm 12:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
Note: Text that appears inside [ ] are being displayed on a monitor. Think DOS.  
  
The following takes place between 11:00 pm and 12:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
11:00:00- "What the hell?" Hwoarang said.  
  
The power had gone off. He didn't necessarily know why, but he didn't have a good feeling about it.  
  
Nina was rushing into another room, her silhouette outlined by the dim glow coming in from the windows.  
  
"Check the elevators." She said.  
  
"Right." He said.  
  
There was something about being in the dark that made people fear it. Hwoarang happened to be one of them, though he'd never admit it. He wasn't overly afraid of the dark, but it was the fear of the unknown that always got him.  
  
In people like that, sight is a big part of the fear. If you were in dark room with an attacker, that scariest part of it is the fact that you can't see their face. Their outline is the only thing, and you have no clue what they look like.  
  
The hallway was pitch black. It was like looking into a black void, there was nothing to see. Hwoarang already had his gun out, and he was now squinting, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.  
  
Not only was he slightly scared of the dark, but he was also a little paranoid. While he was ready for an attack, he couldn't help but think that somebody was going to leap around the corner at him. He ignored the thought and stepped in front of the elevator. He didn't hear anything. The buttons weren't lit up, and after hitting both of them, Hwoarang knew that they weren't going to light up.  
  
"Great." He said.  
  
He walked back into the room, eyes fully adjusted, and looked for Nina.  
  
"Elevators are out." He said.  
  
Nina walked out of another room, either a closet or bathroom, holding a small handheld device.  
  
"Are you sure you weren't followed?" She asked.  
  
"I couldn't notice anything." He said.  
  
She sighed.  
  
"How much experience do you have in espionage or intelligence?" She asked.  
  
"First day. I have Army training only." He said.  
  
"Meaning, you can do reconnaissance but if somebody were to be sneaking up on you, you're clueless." She said.  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
She went back into the other room and brought out a laptop computer, she sat it on the bed. The monitor showed security cameras that displayed Anna Williams walking through the front door.  
  
"This was ten minutes ago. When did you get here?" She asked.  
  
"About that long ago, few more minutes maybe." He said.  
  
"There's one other possibility that I could think of. Here, hold out your arms." She said.  
  
The small handheld device she had turned on and she began to run it over almost every crevice of his body. The device vibrated, and Hwoarang chuckled. It tickled. He could feel the chill run up his spine, and the goose bumps that formed afterward. She finally ran it up against his left arm when the device began to beep.  
  
"What does that mean?" He asked.  
  
"You've been bugged." She said.  
  
"How so?" He asked.  
  
Nina read the display on the device.  
  
"It looks like a tracking device, which would explain how she followed you. Do you have any idea how it got imbedded in there?" she asked.  
  
"You mean it's under my skin?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah. And if you don't know about it, whoever it was did it when you were unconscious." He said.  
  
"Oh well, there's only about half a dozen times today that I've been unconscious for some reason." He said.  
  
"Don't joke. We need to get out of here." She said.  
  
"We should take the stairs." He said.  
  
"I would prefer not to, but it is our best option right now." She said.  
  
"Then let's go." He said.  
  
11:08:27- The labs were going to be quiet. The scientists had already gone home hours ago and the only people in the building were security.  
  
Adam was relieved at that point. The team he brought with him was in place. There were four men, two entering from the top and two from the bottom. Their job was to not only be a distraction, but as a way to take care of the security. His job was to enter the labs undetected.  
  
Right now, he was entering through the lobby. Most people would consider it suicide, if you could get in that way in the first place. Well, he could. Being a computer programmer had its perks, like learning how to hack.  
  
To most people, hacking meant being on the internet constantly, trying to screw up everyone's computer by infecting it with a virus or a worm, or some other type of hybrid backdoor or Trojan horse. Hacking really was just that; only that you don't hack to infect, you hack to overcome an obstacle, and it could be done on any electronic device.  
  
The card reader Adam stood in front of was a perfect example of that. The device he used was just another card you could put in one of these types of devices. For example, you work at this company, and they give you an access card that has an access number which is housed inside the black strip on the back if the card. The only thing most people don't realize is that these cards can hold a lot of information, most of it text. It's like holding a miniature floppy disk. In most employee cards, they housed one number. In Adam's, they housed nearly half a billion different access numbers combinations. They had numbers that were only three digits to ones that went up to ten and all of them with numbers zero through nine. When you swipe the card, the reader looks for the correct number and bypasses all the others, and if it wasn't on there, you simply didn't gain access. Adam had worked on it for a good year back when he first joined. Wallace had thought it was kind of an interesting project, and it worked. These cards were given out to most agents now when they were assigned to covert missions.  
  
Adam swiped the card. Almost immediately, the door clicked open. He loved this little gadget, and the best part about it, the card is extremely low- tech compared to a lot of the little spy gadgets out in the world today. He couldn't help but smile as he opened the door and walked inside the door. "Surveillance disabled." A voice said.  
  
Adam was wearing an earpiece, which let him listen to conversations from the two teams inside the building. The message was good news because now he didn't have to worry about being on candid camera whenever he turned a corner.  
  
There was no guards in the lobby from what he could see, meaning that there was a hidden room where they watched the lobby from, or that they simply were in other areas of the building and left the lobby unguarded.  
  
The elevator to the labs was separated from the other elevators in the lobby. The regular elevators had gold doors, while this one was slick. The doors were metallic blue, as was the frame. It stood out, which was meant for stupid people, really. If someone didn't know where to go, they see the standout color and think: Oh, that's where I need to go.  
  
Adam walked over to the blue doors and hit the button. The door opened and he walked in. There was only two buttons he could hit, and they were labeled "1" and "Lab". He hit lab.  
  
The doors shut and the elevator began to move down. After about ten seconds, the elevator stopped. It was very abrupt.  
  
Above the buttons on the wall, a panel flipped out. It was a keypad. He looked at it. It was asking for a ten digit PIN. It didn't have a card reader.  
  
"Terrific." Adam muttered.  
  
A voice came over the PA.  
  
"This is a two-minute warning. If you have a PIN number, please insert it on the keypad to your right. If you do not have a PIN number, security will be notified and will escort you to your proper floor." The female voice said.  
  
"Shit." He said, pulling out his cell phone.  
  
The line rang.  
  
"Wallace."  
  
"I have a problem." Adam said.  
  
"Yeah?" Wallace said.  
  
"I'm in the elevator for the labs, and it's asking for a PIN that I don't have. The teams shut off the surveillance, but this elevator will tell them anyway. I have about two minutes till they know." Adam said. "Hold on." Wallace said.  
  
Wallace rushed his way into Heihachi's interrogation room. Heihachi was still sitting there.  
  
11:12:06- Wallace could see the smart ass grin on Heihachi's face, and he wasn't in the mood for it.  
  
"What's the access code to your Lab elevator?" He asked.  
  
Heihachi was silent.  
  
"Look you son of a bitch. I got an agent in that elevator, and if he's discovered by your security, they'll kill him." Wallace said.  
  
"Like they should." Heihachi said.  
  
Wallace flipped the table that was in front of Heihachi over. He then grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the car and up against the wall.  
  
"If they kill him, I'm going to make sure you get the chair. So if you want to save your sorry ass, you'll give me the code." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi just smiled, and Wallace just snapped. Wallace pulled out a knife and stabbed Heihachi in the arm, and he buckled to the ground from the unexpected attack.  
  
"My lawyer's going to love this." Heihachi chuckled.  
  
Wallace pulled out his gun and pointed it about five inches from Heihachi's face, and it was aimed right between his eyes.  
  
"The code, or you'll die at the same time my agent does." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi still didn't budge. Wallace then fired a shot into Heihachi's leg. Heihachi screamed, but it then turned into hysterical laughter. The man was insane.  
  
"What's the code!" Wallace screamed.  
  
"526...891...7543!" Heihachi spurted out between laughs.  
  
Wallace took the cell phone that was clipped to his belt and dialed Adam back up.  
  
"Yeah!" Adam said, sounding relieved.  
  
"5268917543." Wallace said.  
  
Adam punched the combination into the keypad and the elevator then began to descend once more.  
  
"Did it work?" Wallace asked.  
  
Adam didn't respond at first, because the doors had slid open as the elevator stopped at the lab. He walked out, thankful to be out of the elevator. It took about five seconds in all.  
  
"You ok?" Wallace asked again.  
  
"Yeah. I'm in the lab." Adam said.  
  
"Call me when you get something." Wallace said.  
  
The two hung up. Heihachi was still laughing, going insane while he bled from his wounds. At the same time, Wallace was on his phone, calling in a medic.  
  
Back at the lab, Adam was in shock as he stared out at the field of Combots.  
  
11:15:05- Hwoarang and Anna had already gone down the fourteen flights of stairs and were now in the hotel lobby, which was actually near the top of the tower where the Park Hyatt resided. It was nice to see again, as the backup generator for the building kicked in about halfway down the stairs.  
  
Hwoarang moved over to the information desk. There was a computer and its monitor hadn't been powered up, so he ignored it. Nina was busy trying to get an elevator, but for some reason, it wasn't working. She then pried open the doors.  
  
She looked up the shaft, and about three floors up was the elevator. She quickly looked down just in time to see an explosion at the bottom of the shaft, some thirty to forty floors down. Hwoarang must have heard this, as he pushed Nina out of the way as the elevator began to fall, the wires cut by the explosion.  
  
The elevator carriage fell quickly, and it passed the open door with a quick whoosh.  
  
"How did you know?" she asked, lying on the floor.  
  
Hwoarang got up off the ground.  
  
"When I was in the Army, we had a mission once in a big skyscraper. We first hit the power, then the elevators. I heard the boom, saw your head poking out in the shaft, and thought the worst." He said, offering her a hand.  
  
"Thanks." She said.  
  
He didn't say anything at first, seeing he was too busy thinking about her. Nina was a heartless assassin, wasn't she? Why was she displaying a warmhearted image to him? Did she have her own intentions? And why the hell was she working with Ling? The questions of the day kept piling up with no end in sight.  
  
She took his hand and pulled herself up off the floor.  
  
"Don't mention it." He said.  
  
She pulled out a rappel gun from the bag she was carrying. Nina had thought it would be a wise idea to take some of her equipment, even if this was an escape. It wasn't like there was a fire in the building, where there would be a time limit. Here, she could sit up here all night if she wanted to. Right now, she figured the best way to get out would be to rappel down. She aimed the gun.  
  
"Wait!" Hwoarang said, grabbing the gun from her hands.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" she said.  
  
"I got an idea." He said.  
  
The lobby had floor to ceiling windows on its right side, which is what spawned his imagination. As soon as she saw him moving over to the window, she knew what his idea was. She had to admit, it wasn't a bad one.  
  
Hwoarang looked for something heavy. He went behind the desk and took the swivel chair that sat there. It wasn't light either, meaning that it would be difficult to build up some momentum. He backed himself up and then ran at the window, holding the chair above his head. He tossed the chair at the window, which ran against it with a thud.  
  
"Well, fuck." He said.  
  
The window didn't even crack. It just sat there, with not even a scratch on it.  
  
"Stand aside, boy." Nina said.  
  
"Look who's talking, you blonde-bimbo bitch." He said.  
  
She had a gun in her hand, and she very well could have killed him if she wanted to. She thought the name calling was fun. She didn't have a problem with it.  
  
Hwoarang kind of took it personally, her calling him a boy. He sat there as she shot the window, which shattered it on the first shot. He was embarrassed.  
  
He then shot the gun at the floor, and then strapped the gun to his belt. She hugged him as they stood at the edge of the window, and they jumped.  
  
11:23:24- Wallace was waiting outside of Heihachi's interrogation room. He had sent a medic in to treat the wounds he gave Heihachi. In fact, Wallace was surprised at the fact that he was able to inflict that much damage without Heihachi fighting back, but then again, it should be that big of one now that he thought about it. Heihachi acted like he enjoyed getting shot, seeing how much he was laughing.  
  
The medic walked out of the room.  
  
"Well?" Wallace asked.  
  
"He's fine. The bullet went thorough the leg. I picked it out of the floor. I put a lot of gauze on the leg, and within a few days he'll be able to walk without limping. You can see him now." The medic said.  
  
Wallace nodded and walked back in the room. He immediately took a seat at the replaced table, directly across from Heihachi. There was a file in his hand, and he placed it on the table.  
  
"You want to talk?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Actually, yes, I do." Heihachi said.  
  
There was a slight pause between them, as if waiting for one person to make the first move. Their egos were big enough that neither one would budge. Then Heihachi raised his pointer finger on his right hand, and laid it palm up on the table.  
  
"Do you know anything about nanotechnology?" Heihachi said.  
  
"I know of it." Wallace said.  
  
"Well, get this. Inside my finger are a couple thousand little transmitters. All together, they can send out a very powerful burst transmission."  
  
Heihachi took his middle and pointer fingers and tapped them together twice. He took his hand back. Wallace looked on as if he wasn't amused by this magic show.  
  
"That little gesture just told the nanomachines to send an SOS message to my lawyer. It also tells him my geographic location within the city. He should be here within the hour, even at this time of night." Heihachi said.  
  
Wallace actually grinned at that. Nanotechnology really was impressive. Heihachi had used them to make a distress signal, when the most common use that was currently being tested was in the medical field. The small machines were really only visible under a microscope, and when inserted into the bloodstream, they could do plenty given that they had the right technology. For example, a person with diabetes could use the nanomachines to create and inject insulin into the person's bloodstream with the person every having to worry about it. The possibilities in the medical field were endless. Heihachi just happened to find a way to make them communicate through human skin. It really just proved how much money Heihachi really had.  
  
"You're not going anywhere." Wallace said.  
  
He got up and left the room.  
  
11:30:26- Rappeling down a forty-something-story building wasn't as easy as it looked. The intial fall took them down about four stories, and now each jump took them down about one and a half stories at a time. Hell, Hwoarang hadn't even hit the thirtieth floor yet.  
  
Nina didn't mind him doing all the work; in fact, it was very erotic in some ways. She was clutched to his chest as he jumped off the wall with a small grunt. She looked down and noticed that they still had a ways to go. She never really wanted to be attracted to anyone, but being this close to Hwoarang was intoxicating. Maybe it was denial, but she had always paid attention to him. He was a wild spirit, and he definitely had a big mouth. She liked people who took charge, but that wasn't as present now as it usually had been. She wondered why.  
  
"Is there any way to make this go any faster?" He asked.  
  
"Not really. This wasn't meant to go a long ways at once. That's why I initially wanted to take the elevator shaft." She said.  
  
"Now you tell me." He said, pushing off the building once more.  
  
She was becoming annoying. So far, he was going through all the trouble and embarrassment. Not only did he make an ass of himself when trying to break the window, but now he was the one repelling down the side of a huge skyscraper. It wasn't exactly his idea of fun and he really had no idea why he was putting up with this. Maybe he was looking for some excitement for once in a long while. The army never really could satisfy his hunger for adrenaline. The SpecOps unit, while high-tech and very secretive, was dull. It was always hush-hush, being silent and cunning, and it was always about planting some type of tracking device or a bomb and then escaping if the alarms went off. It just wasn't as intense as it used to be, but that was changing today. It had to be. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't.  
  
As he pushed off the building again, he notice a sudden loss of slack in the cable that was carrying them.  
  
"What'd I do?" he said, as they abruptly landed against the building again.  
  
"Did you lose some slack?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. What happened?" he said.  
  
"You should have plenty of cord to carry us down." She said.  
  
Hwoarang tugged on the cord, and it wasn't going anywhere. In fact, he pulled so hard, he thought the metal cord cut his hand, but it didn't. Then he saw a big piece of glass fall right next to him. He looked up just in time to be able to strafe away from another piece of glass. Hwoarang and Nina both looked up to see a shillouette looking down at them. The light from the lobby had hidden the person's identity, but Nina knew who it was as did Hwoarang.  
  
"Anna." He said.  
  
"Oh god!" she said.  
  
Anna had gotten down on one knee. Nina took out a small night-vision scope from her pocket and looked at Anna, who had something in her hand. It was a pair of wire cutters.  
  
"She's going to cut the line!" she yelled.  
  
"Give me your gun." He said.  
  
She handed it to him and he pulled out his own.  
  
"Ok. We both push off on three. One, two, three!" he yelled.  
  
The force of two people pushing off was enough to give them some power, and as they got away from the building, Hwoarang opened fire. This was there last chance, but Hwoarang couldn't help but think of how proud John Woo would be seeing this.  
  
The bullets ricocheted all over the place, and he didn't know if any of the shots hit her, but they had hit the wall again. As he landed his feet against the thick windows, he looked back up only to see her still there.  
  
"Again!" he said.  
  
The two pushed off the building and he knew that if he didn't hit her now, they never would. He opened fire once more, this time emptying the clips. They reached the back end of the swing and were headed back to the side of the building again and once again he looked up. She wasn't in the window, in fact, one of the shots must have hit her just right because she was now falling out of the window. Her screaming figure flew past Hwoarang and Nina and landed on the pavement below. They didn't care to look as they continued to rappel down.  
  
11:35:22- The database for the Combots was extensive. Something like this had to have taken years of research and dedication. The lab itself was small and easy enough to run that you really only needed about four people down here at any given time to run the place at full capacity. The main floor for all the bots was really just storage, and an eye grabber for whoever came here.  
  
The main terminal looked out onto the main floor, and was run by three computer terminals. Adam had been rushing through all of them, trying to find out what made the Combots tick. So far, he had learned more about robotics than he ever cared for. What he found was interesting.  
  
The bots had a collective consciousness. Whatever one learns, they all learn that same piece of information at the exact same time.  
  
But that was all he really knew right now. He was busy trying to figure out what the bots were made of. But to do that he still needed to now how work faster with the terminals. Usually, there was a man at each one of the terminals, and now Adam had to do the work of three men.  
  
The first terminal dealt with power systems in each of the robots, the second dealt with computer diagnostics, and the third dealt with emergency override systems and backup information.  
  
Right now, he was trying to hack into the backup information. All he needed to find the back door into the system. He had tried about thirty different number combinations, and then he finally got it on number thirty one. The system unlocked, and he was given full access.  
  
His phone vibrated. After the incident in the elevator, he set it to silent mode, just in case there was a guard down in the labs, which there wasn't.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
"It's Wallace. Give me an update." Wallace said.  
  
"Well, I just got access to the system. I was going to try and see if I can get an exact number of these things down here." Adam said.  
  
"Fine. Call me when you get something." Wallace said.  
  
Adam hung up and then typed in some basic commands:  
  
[command_help]  
  
The monitor then displayed about twenty different options and none of them really helped. He then tried something else:  
  
[system check_log]  
  
It was a different question that on most computers got an unknown command error. But it was a common command on most government servers. This time he got a response.  
  
[log updated 12.04.2004 at 04:36 p.m. all systems functional. 999,987 units accounted for out of 1,000,000 units processed. 13 units have been checked for activation. Would you like status on checked units? Y or N?]  
  
Adam was happy at what he saw. He dialed Wallace's number into his phone.  
  
"Wallace."  
  
"I got something." He said.  
  
"What?" Wallace said.  
  
"Well. It seems that there were a million units processed, but there seems to be thirteen bots missing, and that was of 4:30 this afternoon." Adam said.  
  
"Where did they go?" Wallace asked.  
  
Adam typed away.  
  
[Y]  
  
What came up surprised him.  
  
"My god." He said as he read the text.  
  
[13 units have been checked for activation and have been placed at the specified locations. Virus dispersal will begin at 06:00 a.m. on 13.04.2004. Dispersal will be completed at 8:30 a.m. on 13.04.2004. Would you like to change this command? Y or N?]  
  
"What?" Wallace said.  
  
"The bots have some sort of virus in them. It says that the thirteen bots will release it at six tomorrow morning, and that it will be finished by nine. It looks like I can change the command." Adam said.  
  
"Change it for God's sake." Wallace said.  
  
Adam hit the Y key and hit enter. He knew one of three things would come up. One: It would allow him to change the command, no questions asked. Two: it would ask him for a password that he would have to hack away at. Three: He wouldn't be able to change the command at all. And what do you know, it was number three that came up.  
  
[command cannot be changed. lock is in place and cannot be removed.]  
  
"I can't change it. It's a locked command." Adam said.  
  
"Can you get around it?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Given time? Maybe." He said.  
  
"Then get to work." Wallace said.  
  
11:41:19- Ling felt guilty, as she should. There was so much that was going on today and she couldn't even talk about half of it.  
  
She said that she was here as CIA. Her case involved her infiltrating Hwoarang's old gang and busting them for the deal that went down tonight. It had been building up to today and now it was blown. Drake's betrayal, Chen's death, and Hwoarang's return were things that she hadn't expected. But that was only the first part of her excuse for being in Tokyo. The second excuse was that she was Nina's contact for a Black Ops mission that was the assassination of Heihachi Mishima and Jin Kazama.  
  
Jin's dossier kept flashing through her head. The information she found there was something she wanted to forget. The story it told wasn't possible. Jin couldn't have done those types of things. Jin may have been troubled, but he had a good heart. The devil gene couldn't even make him do those things.  
  
She tried to distract herself from the horrible memories. But it was tougher than it sounded. Sitting in an empty conference room, being ignored by every living person in the building only made her mind wander. It was excruciating trying to pass the time.  
  
Within the past fifteen minutes, she had been trying to amuse herself by following people with her eyes and trying to guess what they did. She had seen Wallace a number of times already, a maintenance man, and almost every intern or technician on the main floor.  
  
Her eyes now wandered on a bulking security guard who seemed very young. The guard's back was turned to her, but she stared anyways, wondering what the man's name was. As soon as the guard turned, she knew the man's name, and pretty much everything else that could be known about him.  
  
"Jin?" she said.  
  
She smacked herself, thinking that she may have been hallucinating. She looked back at the guard who was now walking away, off the main floor. It was Jin Kazama alright. This was something she had to check out. She left the conference room and walked downstairs, following Jin.  
  
11:45:58- Wallace walks down the stairs from his office onto the main floor of the ATU just in time to see a man in a suit walk through the main doors of the building.  
  
"Oh, no." Wallace mutters.  
  
It was Heihachi's lawyer, and he knew the trouble he was in. He shot and tortured an unarmed suspect while in custody. He'd probably get fired and thrown in jail for it.  
  
"Agent Wallace?" the lawyer said.  
  
"Yes?" Wallace said.  
  
"I'm Kayan Ryoto. I represent Mr. Mishima." He said.  
  
"Yes?" Wallace said.  
  
"I'd like him to be released, now." Kayan said.  
  
"I can't do that." Wallace said.  
  
"Really? I'd like to prove otherwise. You are holding him illegally." Kayan said.  
  
"Illegally? I just got information that there are a million robots in the bottom of his lab that are going to be releasing a virus soon. He is being charged with conspiracy, not to mention murder of a couple police officers. Those are very serious offenses. What makes you think he can be released just like that?" Wallace said.  
  
"A letter from the Emperor himself." Kayan said.  
  
Kayan took a letter out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Wallace.  
  
Sure enough, it was a hand written letter from the Emperor, dated about ten minutes ago. The letter was faxed, but Wallace knew it was genuine. It said in gory political detail about how important Heihachi was to the economy of Japan and what would happen if he wasn't released. Wallace wouldn't even think about not complying at this point; he had to let Heihachi go.  
  
"This way." Wallace said.  
  
Wallace led Kayan to the holding room and opened it. Inside, Heihachi was still sitting at the desk. Wallace gave him an unpleasant glare.  
  
"You can go." Wallace said.  
  
Heihachi smiled, got up from the desk and left the room. He then followed his lawyer out of the building. Wallace punched the wall, furious.  
  
A man in a bomb squad jacket came up from behind Wallace.  
  
"Agent Wallace?" he said.  
  
"What now?" Wallace said.  
  
"We're done with Baek Doo San." He said.  
  
"And?" Wallace said.  
  
"There's nothing we can do. There are too many different triggers and the primary charge is set to go off if any of the other triggers are disconnected. As I said, there's nothing we can do." He said.  
  
"Great." Wallace said as the man walked off.  
  
11:50:48- Hwoarang finally placed his feet on solid ground. It was one hell of a goddamned relief. Nina obviously had no problem with the repelling but he did. He almost got killed yet again. Now he had to get back to the ATU before Drake killed his father.  
  
They were in the back of the building, and it might take a few minutes to get to the front to get to his car.  
  
"Where are you parked?" she asked.  
  
Hwoarang nearly drooled at what he saw parked about 100 feet away.  
  
"What?" she asked, curious to know what caught his attention.  
  
She stared off and then frowned. He was still a kid after all. Hwoarang was busy drooling over a silver Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R motorcycle.  
  
"I'm sick of driving cars." Hwoarang said, sprinting over to the bike.  
  
He straddled the bike and Nina ran over to him.  
  
"We don't have a key." She said. Hwoarang laughed.  
  
"Please! Like that's going to stop me." He said.  
  
Whatever he did, Nina didn't care, just as long as they got the hell out of dodge. Hwoarang successfully hotwired the bike in about two minutes. He revved the engine and then pulled out of the lot at top speed, heading for the ATU.  
  
11:53:24- Jin was a hard man to catch up with, that's for sure. He also liked to hide, Ling realized. She wasn't sure if he knew she was following him.  
  
The one thing she wanted to know was what the hell was doing alive! She thought Jin was shot to death earlier in the day. What was he doing sneaking around in the ATU in a security guard's uniform?  
  
She moved down the stairs into the basement of the ATU. It was quiet down here. The only thing that could be heard was the hum of the supercomputers in one of the rooms. She started going from door to door, checking to see if any of them were open.  
  
About a minute went by with her finding out a lot of the doors were locked and still no sign of Jin. She then came across one door that happened to be unlocked. She went in.  
  
The room was dark. She couldn't see anything. Her hands against the wall, she began feeling for the light switch. She found them next to the door, and flipped them on.  
  
She was inside of a medical center of some sort. The walls were lined with lockers you would find in a morgue. She guessed that inside of them were bodies.  
  
Her eyes ran against the lockers and noticed one that was slightly ajar. She went over to it, and opened it. It was difficult to pull out the metal gurney at first, but with a slight tug, it came out smoothly. She gasped as it finally came out. There was no one on the table, but there was a nasty blood smear on it. The shock of the blood caused her to back up, and right into somebody who was waiting there.  
  
She began to turn around when an arm came around and took her into a choke hold. Looking up wasn't necessary, because she could tell it was Jin. His grip was too strong, and she could pull free. She tried to get some leverage by placing her feet on his legs, but it didn't help. Any time she moved, he only squeezed harder.  
  
She finally blacked out. Jin let go of her and then placed her on the metal gurney. He rolled it back inside the locker and shut the door. He then left the room and shut the lights off.  
  
11:58:38- Drake Matthews was in a parked car somewhere in Tokyo. His looked at his watch. He then took a briefcase from the backseat and opened it. Inside was a laptop computer. He brought up a command prompt and typed.  
  
11:59:03- Adam was still in the lab working on trying to get around the locked command. He was beginning to think that he wouldn't be able to fix it.  
  
He heard a whirring sound coming from the main floor where the Combots where. He stood up and looked out.  
  
The bots themselves had been turned off, their eyes a dark gray, seeing as the lights that represented their eyes weren't on. The only thing was that now they were turning on, one by one.  
  
"What the fuck?" Adam said.  
  
What was going on? This shouldn't be happening. He never turned them on. He was becoming frantic.  
  
He glanced down at the screen in front of him.  
  
[All remaining units now operational.]  
  
11:59:57... 11:59:58... 11:59:59... 12:00:00... 


	14. 12:00 am 1:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 12:00 am and 1:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
12:00:00- The world was black to Ling Xiaoyu. She awoke to a very awkward blurriness that only became worse when she realized she couldn't see. It was then she realized that she was lying down. She tried to sit up, only hitting her head against solid metal in the process.  
  
She laid her head back down on the table she was on and closed her eyes. The memories of where she was before she blacked out were a little fuzzy. The darkness wasn't helping, as it was tough to think frantically in such a calm and quiet surrounding.  
  
Then it came to her: Jin. He had nearly strangled her to death inside the ATU's medical center.  
  
"Oh god." She whispered.  
  
She knew where she was, and the very thought of it made her shake. She was inside one of the body lockers. Her hand touched the cold steel of the table, and she felt something cool and syrupy. Her hand jerked away as she realized it was blood.  
  
There was no light in the lockers, and she had nothing that could illuminate her surroundings. It was times like these she wished she smoked.  
  
She began to press her hands against the door, trying to find some kind of an emergency latch, kind of like the ones you find in walk-in freezers.  
  
The door was flat and smooth with no evidence of a handle or knob of any kind. With this little problem, the claustrophobia was beginning to set in. She felt like she had been buried alive, and that she only had minimal air left to breathe with. There was no way out and only one thing to do: scream.  
  
"Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
12:05:38- The bike was speeding towards the ATU and Hwoarang couldn't help but rejoice at the familiar feeling he got from gripping the handle bars of the motorcycle. It was like sitting on a couch that had your groove in it, like an old t-shirt you could help but feel relaxed.  
  
Nina was the only thing that made him from going all out on the bike. He pulled over to the curb. Looking up the street, he figured he was about a mile away from the ATU.  
  
Hwoarang got off the bike, and immediately felt light-headed. Something wasn't right. His balance was off and he began to stumble backwards into the street. Nina grabbed him and pulled him forward just as a car was about to hit him.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
He leaned on the bike, and began to breathe heavily. Something was very wrong with him, and he had no clue what it could be right offhand. He had felt fine all night, but then all of a sudden he felt like he could pass out.  
  
"I don't know. I'm not feeling too hot." He said.  
  
"Well if Drake is serious about doing what he says he'll do, we can't worry about it." She said.  
  
He looked at his watch. There was less than half an hour before Drake's deadline and he was still nearly a mile away from Julia. This wasn't looking too good. Hwoarang stood up and shook his head wildly, hoping to shake the dizziness he was getting.  
  
"I'll call you once I have Julia. When I find out where the drop is, I'll tell you that too." He said.  
  
"You need my number." She said, stating the fact.  
  
"Oh, yeah. That'd help." He said with a nervous chuckle.  
  
She gave him the number and he ran off towards the ATU. Nina then scooted up to the warm spot on the seat where Hwoarang had sat and drove off.  
  
12:11:14- Heihachi and his attorney Kayan Ryoto sat in the back of Heihachi's limo. It was a godsend, Heihachi thought as he mentally melted into the leather seats. The back of the limo was very dark. He couldn't even make out where the cab ended. The fact that the windows were tinted didn't help.  
  
There was a shuffle of clothing that came from within the cab, and Heihachi sensed it. It was intentional too. He heard a light whizzing sound and then a noise came from his attorney. Heihachi turned to see the man gagging up blood. There was a knife in his neck.  
  
A light came on inside the limo. Sitting on the other side was Kazuya. Heihachi was only a little surprised.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked.  
  
"I've come to collect you, father." Kazuya said.  
  
Heihachi noticed that Kazuya was in terrible shape. The devil gene had begun to work on healing him, but there was still quite a bit to cover up. The front of Kazuya's shirt was still covered in blood from when Wallace shot him earlier. When Wallace had slammed on the brakes, Kazuya had flown off the hood which sent his face skidding onto the rough pavement. His face looked like it had gone through a meat processor. His face had a good chunk of skin and some muscle missing from the right side of his jaw. Both eyes were bloodshot and whatever skin wasn't damaged on his face looked pale. Heihachi felt sick just looking at it.  
  
"What are you going to do to me?" Heihachi said.  
  
"That depends on what my master wants." Kazuya said.  
  
"Somebody is controlling you? Figures my pathetic child would want to take orders. You have no right to call yourself a Mishima!" Heihachi yelled.  
  
Kazuya quickly threw something from his hand. It was small, silver, and round. Heihachi didn't react quickly enough. The heavy ball bearing Kazuya had thrown hit Heihachi in the forehead, and he immediately fell unconscious into the seat, right next to the now dead lawyer.  
  
12:17:50-Wallace was in his office, as usual. Other than what Adam was working on, and Hwoarang trying to track down Nina, there was nothing important for him to do. He had no leads, other than the chip, and he already had somebody on that. One thing was certain; his job was very boring sometimes. Wallace yawned as his phone rang.  
  
"What." He said.  
  
"Hey, I thought I'd let you know that I was able to recover a sample of something from the Combots down here." Adam said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, it's a vial of some sort. There's a yellowish liquid inside. I think it might be the virus." Adam said.  
  
"Bring it over here, and we'll run it through forensics." Wallace said.  
  
Wallace looked out from the glass walls of his office onto the main floor of the ATU. He saw Hwoarang walk through the front doors. He looked very pale.  
  
"Hey, Adam. I'm going to let you go, something's come up." Wallace said.  
  
He hung up and rushed down to Hwoarang.  
  
12:23:15- Hwoarang was entering the ATU after he ran and walked the mile to the building. He felt like shit. He was beginning to wonder about the blood transfusion he had earlier after he was shot at the mall.  
  
Wallace came up to him and looked at him as if he were the plague.  
  
"What the hell happened?" Wallace said.  
  
"I don't know, I haven't been feeling too well. Nina wasn't there." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Well, that's about all I have for you now. Go get a drink or something and I'll have something for you soon enough." Wallace said, walking off.  
  
Hwoarang felt ignored. He didn't know it, but he was very pale, ghostly even. Sweat dripped off his face and onto the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing. He was perspiring so much that it was soaking through the shirt. His arm had bothered him during the run and he was now holding it as if he broke it. How the hell could Wallace ignore this?  
  
Hwoarang was really beginning to hate Wallace. Earlier in the day he seemed to genuinely be concerned, but then he told Hwoarang to "do his job". Hwoarang figured that if he didn't, he'd be going to jail. He didn't understand how Wallace could make that happen, but Hwoarang figured he probably could somehow. He remembered that Wallace gave him a chance to get out back when he had the accident with Jin that led them to Heihachi's doctor. He almost wished he had taken it.  
  
"Shit." Hwoarang thought. That was how the tracker got there: Heihachi's doctor, Heihachi's private hospital, and just Heihachi period. The bastard probably had the doctor implant trackers in him and Jin.  
  
Hwoarang's phone rang. He knew who it was and for one of the first times in a long time he was genuinely afraid. If something happened, Baek would die first. He could almost see the explosion shaking the building after he told Drake that Julia wasn't in his possession yet. He took a deep breath and answered the phone.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you have her yet?" Drake asked.  
  
"No. I just got here." He said.  
  
"Why has it taken you so long? I gave you plenty of time?" Drake asked.  
  
"I don't know. I haven't been one hundred percent all day." Hwoarang answered.  
  
"Don't lie to me. You were too busy frolicking with Nina Williams." Drake said.  
  
"Really?" Drake said.  
  
"Lie to me again and I'll but your father out of his misery. But yes, you were." Drake said.  
  
"I guess you know her?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Her sister, actually. And seeing as I can't contact her, I can only guess she was ill-fated." Drake said.  
  
"Something like that, yeah." Hwoarang said.  
  
"So where is Julia?"  
  
"She's here in the building. I can still get her." Hwoarang said.  
  
Drake sighed.  
  
"I'll tell you what: I'll call back at one o'clock. If I don't hear Julia's voice, that's two strikes. If she is under duress of any kind, two strikes. Not only will your father be dead, but the city of Tokyo can say good night permanently." Drake said.  
  
"Fine." Hwoarang said.  
  
He hung up the phone. Immediately a wave of nausea hit him and Hwoarang threw up on the floor of the ATU in front of everyone. He dropped the phone and dropped to his knees.  
  
He didn't know how to describe it. He couldn't breathe, and he continued to vomit while his stomach felt like it met a trash compactor. He looked up to see someone running to him to help.  
  
Everyone was a blur, and he was beginning to feel very cold. So cold in fact that he was beginning to shake. He fell to the floor in a fetal position and could barely see the vomit on the floor. It wasn't vomit, it was blood and nothing but.  
  
An intern was by his side trying to check his pulse as Wallace came running up. He was in shock to see Hwoarang like this.  
  
"I need a doctor!" he screamed.  
  
12:31:04- Heihachi awoke. It was strange, because there was no blurry vision or anything that you would expect after waking from an unconscious state. It was like his eyes opened and the world was clear and quiet.  
  
He was in his office, at his desk. All of the lights in the office were on. Heihachi adjusted himself in the office chair. How did he get here? He remembered being in the limo, yelling at Kazuya, then he was here.  
  
The office had four entrances, one on each of the three walls in front of him. To the west, the door led in from a room for a private elevator that led to his penthouse apartment. To the north, the door led in from the hallway that also led to Lee's office. To the east, the door led in from his private dojo.  
  
He felt pretty safe right now, but God only knew how he got here, and that was what worried him.  
  
The sound of heavy footsteps came from the north door, and Heihachi immediately reached for the gun under his desk. He became frantic as it was missing from the holster. He stood up and looked at the door, defiant and worried at the same time.  
  
Kazuya opened the door, looked at his father then closed the door. He then stood near the door and continued to stare at Heihachi with bloodshot eyes.  
  
The damage Kazuya sustained within the past few hours was still visible. A sickly, bloody scrape covered the far right side of his face. Both of his eyes were almost completely red with blood, with little white showing. There was a very visible bullet hole in the center of his chest, around the area where the heart would be.  
  
Heihachi was in shock, but he didn't show it. Kazuya looked like the walking dead. He didn't understand how he was able to live through it all.  
  
More footsteps could be heard coming from the west door. Jin Kazama walked through the door, shut it, and then stood next to the door while staring at his grandfather with accusing eyes.  
  
"Jin?" Heihachi asked.  
  
He would get no response, for he heard more footsteps, this time from the east door. As Nina Williams walked through the door, Heihachi could see the conspiracy around him.  
  
One more set of footsteps could be heard coming from the north door.  
  
Heihachi could believe the fact that he was blindsided. Jin, Kazuya, and Nina were all apart of a conspiracy. All it needed was a ringleader.  
  
Heihachi kept his eyes on the door in front of him. The one who walked through was the last person he ever expected to see.  
  
It was Lee Chaolan, alive and in living color. Heihachi could almost feel his jaw hit the floor. Lee had the look on his face of a man who just pulled the perfect coup. It was really priceless.  
  
Heihachi was still speechless.  
  
"Say something at least." Lee said.  
  
"How?" Heihachi said.  
  
"How? How. I can't believe you didn't see it coming." Lee said.  
  
Lee walked past Kazuya and up to Heihachi's desk.  
  
"Did you ever really think that your own son would want to work by your side?" Lee said.  
  
He had to admit it, Lee was right. Heihachi had grown confident that Kazuya would take over the company after Heihachi stepped down. Their relationship was in the process of getting patched up after the past twenty-something years. The hope of the possibility that Kazuya would forgive Heihachi for all the pain and suffering had crossed his mind, but his instincts had told him more than once before that Kazuya would never trust him. After all, this was a moment for Lee to cherish, and all the people in the room had a grudge against Heihachi. Revenge really was a dish best served cold.  
  
"Why don't we settle this in a reasonable fashion?" Heihachi said.  
  
Maybe he could just give the company off to Lee, and maybe he could just leave. Boy was he living in a pipe dream.  
  
"Yes. I agree with that. Nina?" Lee said.  
  
Lee turned around and began to walk out of the room, Jin and Kazuya following him out the north door. Nina walked up to Heihachi and pulled out a Colt .45 revolver. She shot him four times.  
  
Heihachi didn't fight it. It was inevitable. As the bullets pushed through his flesh, he fell back into the chair. The feeling of warm blood flooded through his mouth. His vision became blurry, and then went black. The last thing he wondered before he died was if he would have ever done the things he had done in life, if he knew he would die like this. He was never able to answer his own question though. His heart had stopped, and Heihachi Mishima was dead.  
  
12:39:20- Wallace waited outside the medical center inside the ATU. It was a bit of a nervous moment for him. He knew what was happening and there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
If Hwoarang died, then he would be in prison probably. Yeah, he would be. The past eight minutes had been chaos, and his shaking hand was a sign of the adrenaline leaving his bloodstream.  
  
Wallace walked over to the water fountain and took a long sip from the faucet. This was a time to think about the decisions he had made today. It didn't even take a second before he justified everything he did. Maybe he was arrogant, and a prick as well but he didn't care. He did what he had to in order to get the job done. His bosses approved of him, because he delivered results when they needed them. Today was no different, he figured.  
  
The door to the medical center opened, and out walked Dr. Terry Branch. Wallace walked over to him. He seemed concerned, but at least he didn't look like the bearer of bad news.  
  
"How is he?" Wallace asked.  
  
Branch sighed.  
  
"He's lucky to be alive, that's for sure." Branch said.  
  
"What happened?" Wallace asked.  
  
"I should be asking you that question."  
  
"What do you mean?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Please, spare me. The blood transfusion, genius. I know the new machines can be used to do something like this in a matter of minutes, but do you have any idea how to operate one?" Branch said.  
  
"I've been a few training sessions." Wallace said.  
  
"A few? But are you fully trained?" Branch asked.  
  
"No." Wallace said, knowing that he was about to get a lecture.  
  
"Then you shouldn't have operated it. You ushered the medic, who was fully- trained, by the way, and then finished the procedure yourself. You forgot to file the paperwork afterwards, and you sent an injured agent who should have been resting out in the field. Are you that insane?" Branch asked.  
  
"I'm quite sane, thank you." Wallace said.  
  
"Then what the hell where you thinking? Hwoarang just told me all the things he went through tonight! He should be dead, but he's got some drive. If it were anybody else, I'd have another dead body to deal with. Personally? When I'm done in there, I'm contacting Le Carre." Branch said.  
  
"You're going to go above my head? For something like this?" Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah. This is the poor bastard's first day, and he's lucky to be breathing right now. You pushed him to hard." Branch said.  
  
"Terry, you don't want to go there. You go above me and I swear to God, you'll be sorry." Wallace said.  
  
"You threatening me?" Branch said.  
  
The two stared each other down for a moment.  
  
"Is he awake?" Wallace said.  
  
Branch didn't answer; he just walked back into the medical center. Wallace followed.  
  
Inside, Hwoarang was lying on a stretcher, and he was hooked up to an IV drip. His eyes were shut and his was breathing heavily. Wallace walked up to him and could see that his eyes weren't really shut all the way. It almost looked like he was resisting the sleep-inducing drugs Branch must have given him. He looked like he was trying to say something.  
  
"Terry. Did you give him anything to knock him out?" Wallace asked.  
  
Branch walked over to Hwoarang's side.  
  
"Yeah. I gave him a mild tranquilizer. He needs rest." Branch said.  
  
"He's trying to say something." Wallace said.  
  
Wallace leaned in and put his ear in front of Hwoarang's mouth.  
  
"What are trying to say?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Don't...put...me under." Hwoarang spat out.  
  
Wallace snapped to attention and looked at Branch.  
  
"He said to not put him under." Wallace said.  
  
"Why?" Branch asked.  
  
"Just wake him up dammit!" Wallace said. Branch walked over to a nearby medicine chest and pulled out a small bottle. He then inserted it into the drip.  
  
"It'll take a minute." Branch said.  
  
There was silence in the room, but Wallace thought he heard something faint.  
  
"Do you hear that?" Wallace asked.  
  
Branch listened then nodded.  
  
"What is that?" Branch asked.  
  
Hwoarang moaned.  
  
"Here, I'll stay with him, you go find out what that is." Wallace said.  
  
Branch walked off.  
  
"Wallace." Hwoarang said.  
  
"What is it?" Wallace said.  
  
"I need to tell you something. Drake called me. He wants Julia Chang." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Did you find out anything about where he is?" Wallace asked.  
  
"No. But he threatened to kill Baek, and to release a virus in the city if I didn't walk out of here by one o'clock." Hwoarang said.  
  
It took a moment to register, but then Wallace thought of Adam. He took out his phone and called him.  
  
"Yeah?" Adam said.  
  
"Are you still in the lab?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yeah. I got a team here. We found something interesting in the Combots." Adam said.  
  
"Is it a virus?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yeah. How did you know?" Adam said.  
  
"Doesn't matter. Just get everyone out of the building, now!" Wallace yelled, and then hung up.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
Wallace really didn't know what he was going to do.  
  
"Did he ever say where he wanted you to take her?" Wallace asked.  
  
"No."  
  
Wallace had an idea, but it was risky. He was lucky Hwoarang lived, but he needed the kid now, more than ever.  
  
"How do you feel?" Wallace asked.  
  
"How come I feel like I've heard this question before?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
12:50:41- Branch was hot on the trail of this noise, which he determined was a voice. He heard a banging now, which was coming from the morgue lockers.  
  
The sound was vibrating through the metal wall, and he couldn't tell which one it was coming from. He put his hands on each of the lockers, the vibrations getting stronger the closer he got to the source.  
  
If there was a live person in there, the banging was probably the result of the person struggling to breathe.  
  
He found the locker and opened it. Inside was Ling Xiaoyu, and she gasped for air and quickly shut her eyes as the light blinded her. Branch gave her a hand out of the tight space.  
  
He was stunned to see that her clothes were covered in blood.  
  
"Are you hurt?" Branch asked.  
  
She knew he was talking about the blood.  
  
"It's not mine. It was Jin's." She said.  
  
Branch ran to find Wallace.  
  
12:52:27- Wallace was helping Hwoarang get off the IV machine when Branch ran in. One shock after another seemed to be the routine tonight, he figured. Because now, he was staring at Wallace helping Hwoarang out of bed.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Branch asked.  
  
"I can't be here." Hwoarang said. "You're staying right here. Wallace, did anything I said get through to you?" Branch said.  
  
"Yeah, but an emergency situation has come up." Wallace said.  
  
"You know what? If he dies, I'm holding you responsible." Branch said.  
  
"Fine, call Le Carre if you want. I don't give a fuck anymore. What was the noise?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Ling was locked inside one of the morgue lockers." Branch said.  
  
Hwoarang snapped his head around his shoulder to look at Branch.  
  
"What?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Someone locked her in there." Branch said.  
  
Hwoarang thought about it a moment.  
  
"Whose locker was it?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Jin Kazama. The guy who was killed today." Branch said.  
  
"He's not dead." Hwoarang said.  
  
Wallace stared at Hwoarang, dumbfounded.  
  
12:56:03- Drake was standing inside Hanger 12 at Tokyo International Airport. He was becoming impatient. The people here had been taking forever to refuel his Cessna.  
  
His phone rang. He answered it.  
  
"Do you have her yet?" Lee asked.  
  
"No, father. Not yet. I gave him thirty more minutes." Drake said.  
  
"I told you not to toy with him." Lee said.  
  
"I'm not. I threatened to kill Baek and release the virus if she isn't on the phone when I call back." Lee said.  
  
"And when is that?"  
  
"In about five minutes. I'm thinking of calling him early. How did your little celebration go?" Drake asked.  
  
"It was a smash. I don't want any mishaps when he delivers her. He's not exactly a man who likes to be controlled." Lee said.  
  
"I can deal with it. Now if you don't mind, I have a phone call to make." Drake said.  
  
12:58:37- Hwoarang was walking through the main hall of the ATU. He was moving towards Wallace who was bringing him something he cherished.  
  
"Here you go. They brought it in a while ago. You got your gun?" Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
Wallace had handed him his Army jacket. It was a trench coat really, but it was something he considered lucky. He remembered wearing it on his way to the last tournament and how long ago it seemed. He slipped the heavy jacket on. He continued to walk towards the front door. Wallace stayed beside him.  
  
"We'll be a safe distance behind you, taking different routes. We're still following the tracker in your arm, so that way it doesn't blow your cover while you're with Drake. Julia's going to drive you to wherever he says to go to. We good?" Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang's cell phone rang. Wallace left his side as he walked out the front doors of the building. He answered the phone.  
  
"Yeah?" he said.  
  
"You have Julia?" Drake asked.  
  
"Yep." He said.  
  
He walked about three hundred feet to the edge of where the parking lot began. A SUV was waiting with the passenger door open. Hwoarang could see Julia in the driver seat.  
  
"I want to talk to her." Drake said.  
  
"Tell me where we're meeting and you can talk to her when we get there?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Are you trying to screw me over?" Drake asked.  
  
Hwoarang smirked.  
  
"I wouldn't think of it." He said.  
  
12:59:57... 12:59:58... 12:59:59... 1:00:00... 


	15. 1:00 am 2:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 1:00 am and 2:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
1:00:00- Lee Chaolan walked into his office inside the Mishima Zaibatsu. The lights were already on as he moved towards his desk. Kazuya walked in behind him.  
  
"What now?" he asked.  
  
"Go to the estate. I'll catch up with you." Lee said.  
  
Kazuya left the room, and Lee waited a moment before sitting down in front of his computer. He made the appropriate logins and opened a file that he had made sure was buried deep within the files inside the system.  
  
The program opened and immediately asked for a command. He typed one in the program acknowledged it.  
  
He opened one more program. It was a safety program that he designed himself. If something went wrong with the command he ordered, the program would halt. The safety was there so Lee would know of the problem as soon as it came up. It would call his cell phone and a series of noises would be broadcast over the line. When Lee recognizes them, he enters a series of numbers and another backup order is entered into the waiting command program.  
  
Lee grabbed his jacket and left the room, turning the office lights off on the way out. He computer monitor glowed in the darkness. The program came up with a green message box. It said: "Combot dispersal proceeding".  
  
1:02:44- Vehicles were everywhere outside of Mishima Labs. Most of them were Hazmat and various government vehicles. The news of a virus had everybody up in a panic. \  
  
About an hour ago, Adam was all alone with a team of four securing the building. Now, he was outside of Mishima Labs, frustrated as all hell. For the past five minutes, he'd been trying to get a hold of Wallace only to get a busy signal. He dialed one more time, and sure enough it was a busy signal.  
  
"Dammit!" he cursed.  
  
"Agent Katoya!" a man yelled.  
  
A man walked up to him. He was holding a phone. "What?" Adam asked.  
  
"Wallace for you, sir." He said.  
  
Adam took the phone.  
  
"I've been trying to get a hold of you." Adam said.  
  
"It's been complete chaos here. We got a lead and only had a few minutes to act on it." Wallace said.  
  
"Does this lead have anything to do with the evacuation?" Adam said.  
  
"It has everything to do with it. Drake Matthews threatened to kill a witness and release the virus if Hwoarang didn't deliver Julia Chang to him. The deadline was four minutes ago. Hwoarang is in a car with her now. I imagine Drake has already called him. What are you doing over there?" Wallace said.  
  
Adam looked at the front door of the building. Men in Hazmat suits were setting up a tent in front of the door. The thought of a deadly virus on the other side of a thin pane of glass freaked him out. He could feel a shiver going down his spine.  
  
"Hazmat is setting up quarantine before they enter the building. Once they get inside, I'm going to have to give them instructions on how to get down there." Adam said.  
  
"Aren't you going in with them?" Wallace said.  
  
"No. I can't do it." Adam said.  
  
"I understand. We'll get back to you if we get Drake. Once he's in custody, we should be in the clear as long as the virus wasn't released." Wallace said.  
  
"Yeah. I'll be waiting." Adam said.  
  
1:05:16- Wallace hung up the phone. He rested his head back in his chair and closed his eyes. His phone rang again. He groaned as he reached for the phone.  
  
"Wallace." He said.  
  
"It's me." Hwoarang said.  
  
"What do you got?"  
  
"It's going down at Tokyo International Airport, Hanger 12." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Great. I'll have teams scramble there now." Wallace said. "Thanks." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Hwoarang?" Wallace asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ling's going to be there too. She wanted to help." Wallace said.  
  
Hwoarang stayed silent. He still cared for her, but he knew there was no chance that the relationship would start again. They were just friends now. But he didn't want to see her get hurt.  
  
"I know what you're thinking. I took care of it. She's going to provide sniper cover." Wallace said.  
  
"Thank you." Hwoarang said.  
  
He hung up.  
  
1:08:19- Terry Branch was at his desk down in the Medical Center of the ATU. The office was located near the morgue lockers in the back of the small complex that was buried in the dungeon of the building.  
  
His office was cluttered and not because he wanted it that way. Branch was usually very tidy, very professional. But tonight was something different. A bottle of Jack Daniels sat on his desk, and for anybody that knew him, that should be a sign that he was having a bad night.  
  
The office was trashed because he trashed it. He was downplayed again, like he always was. Wallace hired him because he was good at what he did, and Wallace soon found out that Branch had a very low self-esteem. He hated Wallace now, knowing that the fucking bastard enjoyed playing with that weakness.  
  
Branch had tried complaining, but nobody above him listened. When Wallace would find out about his complaint, he would pull some type of prank or beating on him. The beatings were only a punch here or there, nothing serious in the long run. But two weeks ago, it got worse. Wallace began hitting him on occasion just for fun. One time about a week ago, Wallace came to his home drunk and punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.  
  
He called up Wallace's supervisor, Gavin Le Carre and threatened to press charges. Branch was sick of it. Le Carre hesitated and told Branch that he would take care of the problem. Branch waited and Le Carre finally called him two days ago and told him that he was making an investigation.  
  
That was good enough for then. Now Wallace was about to kill a young man who had no clue what Wallace was really like. Branch wasn't about to let that happen.  
  
His office had been trashed before he had his first drink of the night. Most of it came when the combot arrived at his clinic earlier in the day. The clinic was supposed to be a secret. He was helping out there sometimes when the ATU didn't need him. There were other doctors that worked here besides him, and he wasn't scheduled to come in today. But Wallace placed him with the bot, and now tonight the shit hit the fan after Branch threatened to go back to Le Carre. He went to the phone on his desk and started dialing.  
  
"Le Carre." The man said.  
  
"Gavin, it's Terry Branch again." He said.  
  
"What's up?" Le Carre said.  
  
"A situation has come up over here. You know about everything that's been happening within the past few minutes?" Branch said.  
  
"I talked to Wallace about thirty minutes ago. He said he was waiting for that new field agent to come back for a report. Why?" Le Carre said.  
  
"The field agent came back and nearly died. It turns out that he was shot earlier in the day and Wallace performed a blood transfusion incorrectly. He then pressured the agent into going back into the field again. About thirty minutes ago, he was hooked up to an IV, and now Wallace has sent him back out into the field." Branch said.  
  
"Why would he do something like this?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"I don't know. All that I know is that if that agent doesn't rest, he'll die. The poor son of a bitch already coughed up blood as soon as he got in here." Branch said.  
  
"Why did Wallace take him out?" Le Carre said.  
  
"It's a bit of a long story. The man the agent was protecting, he died. Well, now his body is missing and some woman said she was attacked by this man who should be dead. The agent pretty much confirmed that he was still alive." Branch said.  
  
"Well, I'll get all this from Wallace when I talk to him. But in light of this, I think you should know that I've finished my investigation." Le Carre said.  
  
"So soon?" Branch said.  
  
"Yes. I'm not telling you what I'm going to do to him, but I will tell you what I think of him." Le Carre said.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"When I appointed him, he seemed ambitious, smart, and very capable of doing his job. Now, he's arrogant, lazy, and irresponsible. He seems to love his job though. I just thought you'd want to know that." Le Carre said.  
  
"Thank you, sir." Branch said.  
  
They hung up.  
  
1:13:28- Hwoarang sat in the passenger's seat of the SUV. His head lay back in the seat, his eyes shut. He was tired; no thanks to those tranquilizers Branch had given him.  
  
Julia was wide awake though. That was thanks to a nap she forced herself to take after the incident at the mall. While driving, she glanced over at Hwoarang. He had changed from the last time she saw him. The short hair was still there, but there was something missing from him.  
  
She couldn't help but gaze at him while he slept in the seat. She always found him attractive, and now was no different. She admired his face mainly. The five o'clock shadow he was getting was very attractive to her. She slowly began looking at the rest of his body: his chest, abs, arms, and his legs. God, she just realized how horny she was.  
  
A horn blared and she glanced in front of her to see that she was in the oncoming lane. She swerved out of the way, which woke Hwoarang from his slumber.  
  
"What happened?" he said.  
  
"Nothing." She said, with a nervous chuckle.  
  
Hwoarang rubbed his eyes, trying to fight to stay awake. Julia glanced at him quickly, just in time to see him slap himself across the face. He slouched back in the seat and stared out at the road.  
  
"Talk to me." He said.  
  
"Excuse me?" she said.  
  
"I'm trying to stay awake, so will you talk to me?" he asked.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.  
  
"I don't care, just anything. Ask me something?" he said.  
  
"What's going on? Why am I here?" she said.  
  
"There's a man named Drake Matthews that's threatened to release a virus in the city. He's demanded you as a ransom." He said, not looking at her.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know anymore, and I don't care either." He said.  
  
She accepted this remark, seeing as her fiancé was Jin Kazama, she pretty much knew enough about Hwoarang as well. She just never saw him enough in the flesh.  
  
"Ok, then. What happened to you after the tournament?" she asked.  
  
"Trust me, you don't want to know. Ask me something else." He said.  
  
Obviously she hit something. Jin always talked about how fun it was to piss him off. She doubted that he was just going to hand her over to some terrorist. He obviously had some sort of plan to get her back. She decided to push further.  
  
"Trust me, I do want to know." She said.  
  
He glared at her.  
  
"Ask me something else." He said.  
  
"Look, I'll stop this car if you don't tell me." She said.  
  
"To put it in very short terms, I was tortured. Alright?" he said.  
  
"I'm sorry. What happened?" she asked.  
  
"If you must know, I went back to Korea after the tournament to find my father. I couldn't find him or my gang, and the next thing I know, the army arrests me. One thing about Korean Army policies is that they have none. There's the rule about discharges and all, but punishments aren't exactly watched like they are in a police station." He said.  
  
She didn't mean to bring up such a horrifying subject for him, but she was curious.  
  
"What did they do to you?" she asked.  
  
"I was put through it all. I was tied up and all the guys in my unit beat me until I was nearly dead. The commanding officers put me on electroshock and laughed as I spasmed in front of them. They even went as low as submitting me to the old Chinese water torture. That's only to name a few." He said.  
  
She stayed silent.  
  
"I was lucky enough to keep my sanity." He said with a chuckle.  
  
"How did you?" she asked.  
  
"I didn't. If it wasn't for the UN, I'd probably be dead by now. That's probably the only reason I'm still here. I haven't had a purpose for living since after the tournament." He said, closing his eyes once more.  
  
They continued on in silence for a minute. Julia then pulled up in front of the airport terminal.  
  
"We're here." She said.  
  
Hwoarang opened his eyes.  
  
1:26:32- Wallace was grabbing his jacket out of the locker in his office when his cell phone rang. He quickly took out his phone and left his office, heading for his car.  
  
He answered it by the fourth ring.  
  
"Wallace." He said.  
  
"What took you so long?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Gavin. I'm sorry about that. I was heading out."  
  
"What for?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"We got a lead on the man Drake. He got to the new field agent Hwoarang, and I set up a sting operation as a counter." Wallace said.  
  
"What did Drake want?" Le Carre said.  
  
"He wanted Julia Chang in exchange for the assurance that he won't release the virus or kill Baek Doo San. I have teams en route to the airport. He's waiting in Hanger 12. Hwoarang should be there by now." Wallace said.  
  
"Good. I want you there. I'll meet you in fifteen minutes." Le Carre said.  
  
Le Carre hung up. Wallace knew Le Carre was mad. He knew Branch must have called him, that fucker. Wallace left the ATU, and began to drive to the airport.  
  
1:32:00- The SUV pulled up to Hanger 11 on its south side. Hwoarang had her drive around it once, to check to see which side Drake was waiting on. It was odd to find both sets of doors shut. He figured he'd be waiting.  
  
Hwoarang had her stop the car and he got out. His cell phone rang.  
  
"Yeah?" he said.  
  
"Hey. I'm here." Ling said.  
  
"Where are you?" he asked.  
  
It was a good question. He left before she did and she arrived at about the same time as he did, if not earlier.  
  
"I'm on the roof of the south tower." She said.  
  
Hwoarang looked over at the tower and saw a small red light flash over his eyes. She had run her laser sight over his eyes. Not exactly healthy for him, but at least he knew where she was without her compromising her location.  
  
The other line rang.  
  
"Shit. Good luck, Ling." He said.  
  
He switched lines.  
  
"Yeah?" he said.  
  
"Is she with you?" Drake said.  
  
"She's in the car." He said.  
  
"Tell her to get out. When she does, you get in the driver's seat and shut off the car." Drake said.  
  
Hwoarang motioned for her to get out as he walked over to her door and got in the vehicle.  
  
"Done. Now what?" he said.  
  
The south doors to the hanger opened.  
  
"Tell her to come inside." Drake said.  
  
"What assurances do I have that you won't release the virus or kill my father?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Sadly, none." Drake said.  
  
He knew it was useless to resist.  
  
"Go." He said to Julia.  
  
She began to move.  
  
"Thank you, Hwoarang. It was nice doing business with you again." Drake said as he hung up.  
  
He quickly called Ling back and put her on speaker.  
  
"Hwoarang?" she asked.  
  
"Where's the teams?" he asked.  
  
"They're on the other side of the hanger, waiting for my order." She said.  
  
Julia made it there and the doors began to shut.  
  
"The teams are saying that the other doors are opening and that they hear plane engines starting up." She said.  
  
Hwoarang knew he couldn't let Drake escape with her. He started up the SUV and floored the damn thing.  
  
On the other side, the teams were startled to find a car blaze out of the hanger followed by the Cessna.  
  
Hwoarang took the SUV between the hangers.  
  
"The plane is beginning to taxi." Ling said.  
  
He stopped the SUV and scrambled to the back, pulling an Uzi out of the weapons cache. Hwoarang then put the car in drive and tried to catch up with the plane.  
  
"Ling, shoot out the tires on that fucker!" he yelled.  
  
"What about the car that's escaping?" she asked.  
  
"Fuck. Deal with that, I'll get the plane!" he yelled.  
  
The plane continued to get faster, and the SUV was nearing it's max speed. The vehicle was coming up alongside the plane, and Hwoarang knew he didn't have a lot of time left before the Cessna was airborne.  
  
He rolled down the window, and aimed the Uzi out at the back right tires. The machine pistol sprayed bullets as he pulled the trigger. A number of them ricocheted onto the tarmac, but it was still good enough to blow out the tires. The plane immediately buckled and swerved to the right, causing Hwoarang to slam on the brakes. The plane slowed and Hwoarang got out of the SUV and dashed over to the plane.  
  
There was no immediate way to get in, he would have to improvise. He looked around an saw people rushing over to the plane. He ran to the nearest person.  
  
"What the hell happened?" the man asked.  
  
"You work here?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"What? Yeah. Yeah, I do." The man said.  
  
"I need to get in that plane." Hwoarang said.  
  
"What happened?" the man asked again.  
  
"I'm with a UN task force; I have a suspect on that thing. I need on there now!" Hwoarang said.  
  
The man looked around and saw an employee on the stair car. It was always strange how you could always find one of these driving around whenever you went to the airport. He whistled the man over to the plane.  
  
Hwoarang watched as he parked it. He didn't have time for a safe perfect fit. The man tried to stop him as he ran up the stairs.  
  
"How do I open this door?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"There should be an emergency switch on the outside of the door." The man said.  
  
Sure enough, there was a small toggle switch, no so different from a fire alarm, on the plane's hull. Hwoarang gave it a tug and the door popped off. He ducked to the side, just as it began to fly off down the stairs.  
  
Hwoarang, Uzi in hand, entered the plane. There was no one on board that he could tell, and it was actually smaller than he expected. He checked the cockpit to find it empty. Hwoarang knew that he had to have been in the back. The main part of the cabin was lit by emergency lights, which really didn't help. The lights made it feel like he was on stage, and he couldn't see past them into the crowd.  
  
Hwoarang squinted just as a fist came flying into his chin. Hwoarang dropped the Uzi and stumbled backwards, just as Drake threw another punch. This time, Hwoarang caught it in his own hand. Drake was stunned. He obviously underestimated Hwoarang, just like Lee told him not too. Hwoarang hauled off and punched him in the face. Drake fell to the floor. He looked up only to get a faceful of Hwoarang's shoe as he kicked Drake in the face.  
  
Drake rolled on the floor and began to painfully moan.  
  
"You son of a bitch. You broke my nose." Drake screamed.  
  
"You'll be lucky if your balls are still attached by the time I'm done with you." Hwoarang said.  
  
He picked Drake up and punched him again in the face, then did a quick snap kick to his chest. Drake fell to the floor unconscious.  
  
Hwoarang tried to catch his breath as he spat on Drake.  
  
1:46:08- Wallace drove up to the plane on the tarmac. He heard the whole thing over the radio he brought with him. He couldn't believe half of it. He parked the car and got out just in time to see Hwoarang bring Drake out.  
  
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he did it." Wallace said.  
  
"Yes, he did." Le Carre said.  
  
Wallace turned around to see his superior approach him.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about Jin Kazama's body missing, Al?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Is this really the time to bring that up?" Wallace asked.  
  
"Yes, it is." Le Carre said flat out.  
  
"I didn't think it was that important with this going on." Wallace said.  
  
"Oh, I tell you what's important. You're fired." Le Carre said.  
  
"What?" Wallace asked.  
  
"You heard me. Now get the fuck out of here." Le Carre said.  
  
"But..." Wallace said.  
  
"Go." Le Carre said.  
  
Wallace stumbled backward, and looked up at Hwoarang, who was walking down to the tarmac with Drake. Hwoarang stared at him without pity.  
  
1:49:32- Le Carre called a number on his cell phone.  
  
"Yeah?" Adam said.  
  
"This is Le Carre. Who's this?"  
  
"Agent Adam Katoya, sir." Adam said.  
  
"Are you at Mishima Labs?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"We have Drake in custody. Also, I'll be temporarily taking over the ATU until I can find a replacement for Agent Wallace."  
  
"What happened to Wallace?" Adam asked.  
  
"That's not important. Take care of the situation there, first. I'll get back to you." Le Carre said.  
  
He didn't wait for Adam to respond, he just hung up. Hwoarang put a handcuffed Drake into the back of a waiting car, his own SUV too far away.  
  
"What happened to Wallace?" he said to the man who happened to be Le Carre.  
  
"I fired him, Hwoarang. I'm Gavin Le Carre, his boss." Le Carre said, reaching out to shake Hwoarang's hand.  
  
Hwoarang shook back uneasily, wonder what was going on.  
  
"I wanted to tell you that you can go now." Le Carre said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hwoarang said.  
  
Le Carre pulled him away from the airport crew that was busy trying to get the plane removed from the tarmac.  
  
"You've been through hell today. In fact, I know how you nearly died about an hour ago. I also know that you don't have a place to stay in town. So, I'm telling you that you're relieved of your post. I'm going to be ordering that you be given compensation for what you've been through, and here's the card to an agency penthouse to a five star hotel here in Tokyo." Le Carre said.  
  
Hwoarang felt like the loser on a TV show for some reason. He didn't expect to be let off the hook so easily. He didn't understand, but he didn't want to ask questions either. He took the card. "Take the SUV as well, we'll collect the weapons later." Le Carre said.  
  
Hwoarang walked away from Le Carre, still speechless. He got in the SUV and drove off.  
  
1:53:34- Ling was still on the north tower. She was putting away her rifle after she watched Hwoarang get safely off the plane.  
  
She locked the rifle case and left the tower. She decided to leave out the back door, where she had parked her car. She set the rifle in the truck and shut it. Then something struck her neck. It felt like a mosquito bite at first, but she reached up to her neck, she felt the fuzzy tip of a tranquilizer dart. She collapsed on the ground.  
  
Three men came out of hiding and picked her up. They placed her in a waiting Honda Civic and drove off.  
  
1:57:59- Adam was in the elevator on his way back down to the lab. He had gotten the call from Hazmat that the building and the elevator shaft were clear. There was no sign of a virus anywhere. They hadn't been down to the labs, but they said it would have leaked into the elevator shaft and up to the lobby by now.  
  
It was good enough for him. He was afraid of the virus being released, but he figure the Hazmat team knew what they were talking about.  
  
He exited the elevator and walked out onto the main floor. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"That's impossible." He said.  
  
All of the Combots were missing.  
  
1:59:57... 1:59:58... 1:59:59... 2:00:00... 


	16. 2:00 am 3:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 2:00 am and 3:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
2:00:00- "Nice place." Hwoarang said as he entered his room in the Imperial Hotel. It was no penthouse, but it sure was nice. He looked at the bill once again, which he figured he'd send to Wallace or Le Carre in the morning.  
  
It summed up all the expenses he could ring up within the next few days. Among them: in-room massages, mini bar, 24-hour room service, and pay-per- view movies. He wondered if Le Carre would stiff him on the bill if he racked it up with porn movies.  
  
He flipped on the light switch by the door and took his jacket off. He threw it on the king-sized bed inside the more-than-average sized room.  
  
The room wasn't just a normal tourist room. It was a normal tourist room that attracted attention. The floor was a tan Berber, the bedspread matched the carpet, and the nightstand and writing desk had a cherry oak finish. Hwoarang could have appreciated it, if he were gay. He though it looked too fancy for his taste. Personally, he liked hardwood floors more than he did carpeted ones.  
  
Right now, he was too tired to care about how the room looked. He went back into the small hallway and closed the door, careful enough to latch the deadbolt as well. Then, while pulling off his shirt, he looked at the array of different toiletries that the hotel offered. It had about three different brands of shampoo, six different bars of soap (most saying it helps the environment, whatever that meant), and two different brands of conditioner.  
  
The choices meant little to him as he took the shampoo and the bar of soap off the top of the toilet, leaving the conditioner behind. He set them on the little holder inside the shower, and began to rig the faucet so he could take his shower. Once that was done, he turned on the water.  
  
The steam quickly rose as Hwoarang sat on the toilet and began to take the rest of his clothes off. First the shoes came off, and he stared at the left foot whose pain had been ignored all night. The white sock was completely covered in blood, and by now it was dry. He gingerly took it off and examined the wound. It looked more like a big bite mark than a stab wound. The blood had become a little crusty as he carefully ran his left index finger across the wound.  
  
He considered himself lucky that the glass Chen had shoved into his foot had come out intact. If it had broken inside his foot, he definitely would have noticed it earlier. Hwoarang sighed and stood up onto the bathroom floor, which was now becoming slick due to the steam from the shower. He stripped and got in.  
  
The hot water immediately hit his skin as he entered. It took a second for the heat to register with his brain and when it did, he couldn't help but painfully wince as he waited for his skin to adjust.  
  
Just being in there helped him rejuvenate not only physically, but mentally as well. He closed his eyes and the events of the day flashed by; specifically when Jin died and his fight with Chen. The thought of Drake popped in again and he immediately pushed it out. Then Hwoarang thought of his father. The memories stopped and faded as his silently mouthed the words, "father".  
  
Hwoarang placed his hands along the sides of the shower faucet, his head now placed in the path of the falling water. The red hair flattened, now soaked. The water ran down his face and fell off his chin. He took a deep breath, feeling the rejuvenating euphoria take effect.  
  
2:07:26- Wallace stood just inside the front gate that gave access to the runways. It had been a long day and he had made choices he regretted now that he was unemployed.  
  
Was he an asshole? Yeah, he always had been. The only reason he was nice to Hwoarang was because he felt sorry for the guy. He didn't deserve to be dragged into this, but he had plenty of chances to back out. He had his reasons for pressing Hwoarang and he felt that the size of the transfusion earlier wasn't exactly huge and with the new experimental technology that the ATU was allowed to test, he thought the kid was fine. Well, apparently not. He wondered where he was as he waited here for some unknown reason.  
  
He tried to leave, but the guards Le Carre had set up wouldn't let him leave. One of them was just checking with Le Carre now. Wallace popped his neck muscles, hoping to relieve some of the pressure there. He leaned on the gate and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Placing the thin object between his lips, he couldn't help but call himself stupid for having bought the pack in the first place.  
  
Technically, he quit three years ago. But he's smoked nearly one pack since then. Wallace had set rules for himself when it came to smoking again: if it was a national emergency where the world could end, if somebody tried to kill him or he was shot at, and if he was fired. Well, today had a checkmark on all of those. But it was more or less because of stress.  
  
He lit up, taking a long drag. The paper burned as the smoke filtered into his mouth. Almost immediately he tried to inhale, and coughed. It really had been a while. He coughed again, this time more violently. The guard standing next to the gate glanced over at him, probably curious if he was ok or not.  
  
Wallace held back another cough as he placed the cigarette back in his mouth. He stared out at the runway and saw Le Carre walking towards him. He threw the butt to the ground and stepped on it. Whatever it was, Le Carre didn't look too happy.  
  
"Gavin? What's going on? These guys won't let me out of this god-forsaken place." Wallace said, trying to make light of the incident earlier.  
  
"Al, you're under arrest." Le Carre said.  
  
"What?" Wallace said.  
  
Le Carre signaled the guard behind him to put the handcuffs on.  
  
"What the hell am I being charged with?" Wallace asked.  
  
"You'll find out in a bit." Le Carre said.  
  
The guard knew where to take Wallace. Le Carre made sure that a couple rooms were set aside for them when he got here. Drake was already in one room, with armed guards outside. Now, Wallace would be taking the other room. He was going to be getting some answers. Another field agent came up to him as he stood in place where Wallace was, looking at the city lights in the far background behind the runways.  
  
"Sir?" the agent said.  
  
"Yeah?" he said.  
  
"We ran over the tapes from the cameras inside the hangar. Julia Chang was put into the car that escaped custody." The agent said.  
  
"Did you get the plates?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Yes. We're taking them down now. Also, Ling Xiaoyu was providing sniper cover. She's missing now, sir." The agent said.  
  
Le Carre started walking towards the administration building where Drake and Wallace were being held.  
  
"She probably left to report to her superiors in the CIA." He said.  
  
"And if she didn't leave under those conditions?" the agent asked.  
  
"It doesn't matter. She isn't important anymore." Le Carre said.  
  
2:12:47- This place really was home to Lee Chaolan. The estate twenty minutes outside of Tokyo was a three floored house that he spent years trying to get it built.. Inside, all floors were of a very lightly colored wood grain that almost glowed when the recessed lighting was on.  
  
That was his favorite part about the house. Everything else was picked out by designers from all over the globe. Needless to say, they not only did a good job of decorating the place, but sucking money out of him as well.  
  
The best item in the house was the voice system he had installed, which would recognize his voice patterns and perform most lighting and temperature commands he asked for.  
  
His office was on the second floor, and was nearly an exact setup of his office in the Mishima Zaibatzu building. He walked in, the lights already on. He quickly sat at the desk and flipped on the computer in front of him.  
  
The status of the bots was the one thing he had to keep tabs on. If everything was going smoothly, nobody would know about the secret door in the lab for a couple more hours, which would be too late to stop his plan.  
  
It was perfect. Lee and Kazuya were the only ones who knew of the true endgame, and Kazuya didn't mind being second to Lee now that Heihachi was dead. Lee even promised him Jin's death as well, if that was what he wanted. Kazuya never commented at the time, but Lee could tell he wanted it to happen. He knew Kazuya felt safe being a "one-of-a-kind".  
  
The program loaded and it showed the progress on the bots. Currently they were about five miles underground and moving to the estate ahead of schedule. The timer showed fifty minutes remaining. The thought of his plan going the way it should made Lee smile.  
  
Meanwhile, Jin was frantically trying to get away from everyone. He despised what he did to Ling back at the ATU. The last thing he ever wanted to do to his friends was hurt them. He actually walked right past Hwoarang as he came into the building, leaving as he began to collapse.  
  
When he awoke, he didn't know what he was feeling. It was like his brain wasn't always there. He could remember everything about himself and the people he knew, but his body was reacting in a strange way. For some reason, he woke feeling really hungry. Jin remembered his arms lashing out around him, hoping to find some food of some sort. The scariest part of the whole ordeal was when he actually bit down on his arm, almost biting the flesh off.  
  
It only lasted for about twenty seconds, but after that he snapped out of it. Struggling in the little locker was terrible. He was able to find a small latch on the wall by pure luck. The man who obviously installed it placed it in the one spot nobody would ever find it. The button was set on the side, and it wasn't even on the door to begin with. After getting out, it was a matter of trying to find somebody.  
  
But then he heard a voice inside his own head. It was strange. Kazuya's voice flooded his brain. His commands flooded through Jin's brain as if Jin himself had actually thought it.  
  
Luckily, when Jin met with his father, he didn't question Jin's loyalty. Kazuya was under the impression that Jin realized his fate and took his place by his father's side. This is what he worried about. Kazuya had never really acted like this to him before, and the fact that Jin took him with open arms made him wonder if Kazuya actually believed him.  
  
After seeing his grandfather die, he was taken to this mansion outside the city. AS to what they were doing here, he had no clue. His one goal in all of this was to infiltrate and report. He had already joined sides with Kazuya and Lee, and now he needed to contact Hwoarang.  
  
He was able to find a bathroom on the top floor. Getting away from everyone was the easy part, actually getting a decent cell phone signal this far outside of Tokyo was a little tricky.  
  
The bathroom had no bath, but was still very spacious. There was no one on this floor that he knew of, but he knew someone would come up here eventually. He dialed in Hwoarang's number as he huddled up around a wall away from the door.  
  
The phone dialed and it ringed, but the signal was breaking up. Jin was overjoyed when he heard someone pick up.  
  
"Hey, it's Hwoarang. Not here, leave one." Hwoarang's voice said.  
  
There was a beep after the message.  
  
"Hey, it's Jin. I'm at a mansion outside of the city. Lee Chaolan and my father are up to something. Also, Nina is here too and Heihachi is dead! I've managed to join sides with them, but I'm not with them. I'll try back in a few minutes." He said.  
  
He went to the door and opened it, slipping the cell phone back in his pocket. The last thing he expected to see outside was Nina. Needless to say, he was surprised. But he never showed it.  
  
"What's up?" Jin said.  
  
"Kazuya wants to meet us in the basement in twenty minutes. Be there." Nina said.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
Nina walked off, and Jin knew she was staring at his pants pocket the entire time. She saw him put the phone in his pocket. Jin wondered what she was going to do. Whatever she did, he was going to have to watch his back.  
  
2:16:52- The shower was probably the best thing that had happened to Hwoarang all day. It was so positive to think about. The shower wasn't something from the past that brought you nothing but sadness, it didn't try to kill you, and when near, it doesn't tell you to continue with the job that you never wanted. It gave you hot water that made you relax, and you actually felt better. It was great.  
  
But now the shower was over. Hwoarang left the bathroom after putting his boxers back on. The rest of his clothes he folded back up and set on the large sink.  
  
The room was cold. The air conditioner must have been running since he came in. Hwoarang never noticed it, even when he first entered the room. He walked over to the thermostat on the wall by the bed and began turning it down. Fumbling with the settings, he noticed the steam coming off his semi- dry skin. He loved it when that happened, taking it as a good sign that he was well-rejuvenated from the shower. It was a personal myth, but he believed it nonetheless.  
  
When the thermostat was set, he looked at the alarm clock to make sure the alarm wasn't on. He was determined to get the best night's sleep ever. Today was probably the longest day of his life.  
  
Finally turning the lights off, Hwoarang laid his tired body into the bed. As soon as his eyes shut, he began to drift into slumber.  
  
There was one thing Hwoarang could safely dream about after a day like today, and that was women. Sure, Hwoarang was a bit of a womanizer. But the women he had met today were people he actually knew. He had fought them, loved them, hated them, and even befriended some of them. No matter what raced through his head as he tried to sleep, the tournaments were always somehow related.  
  
Julia was great, he couldn't deny it. Jin was lucky to get somebody like her. As to what they have in common, it baffled him. Jin and Julia were nearly exact opposites. She fought to save something, while he fought to get away from something all together different.  
  
Julia's beauty was something that Hwoarang immediately found sexy. Her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and when she wore the glasses, he couldn't help but feel perverted.  
  
His mind drifted to Ling. She was also great, and he had to thank her for being there when he first got drafted into the army. She always supported him, and that was how the friendship really grew. He felt her wanting the relationship to more than just friends, but the fact was that he didn't feel that way about Ling. She was a friend, plain and simple.  
  
His mind began to drift to other thoughts, and soon they became completely incoherent. Thoughts like corn bread muffins, meatloaf, Aerosmith's "Dream On", and why cell phones are just so damn small. Finally, his mind gave up and moved into what psychologists called stage 2 sleep.  
  
His breathing slowed for all of one minute, and then the phone rang.  
  
"Ahh!" Hwoarang yelled.  
  
He had jolted awake and sat straight up in bed, alarmed by the sudden noise.  
  
"Fuck!" he cursed.  
  
Pissed off, he took the phone and searched for the phone cord. He unplugged it from the back of the phone and went back to bed.  
  
Hwoarang laid on his side in a fetal position, curled up with the sheets. He stayed awake, watching the bright light glowing underneath the door. His mind was blank and now it was going to be interesting to see him go back to sleep.  
  
An envelope came sliding under the door. Hwoarang didn't move for a moment, the thought probably registering as a figment of imagination. The thought finally registered and he got up, dragging himself to the door.  
  
The envelope was just a standard one that people use to mail things in everyday. When Hwoarang picked it up, it seemed so light that he wondered if somebody simply dropped it, pure chance bringing it under his door. The thought dismissed itself as he opened the flap, and found a small earpiece inside. Curiosity overtook him, and he put it inside his ear.  
  
"Hello?" he said.  
  
"Mr. Doo San?" a male voice said.  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"That's not important right now. I need you to do something for me." The voice said.  
  
"What makes you think I'm doing something for you?" Hwoarang said.  
  
This conversation seemed all too familiar. The thoughts of his talk with Drake kept making him think that this conversation would go the same way.  
  
"I have information regarding the virus that Lee Chaolan wants to release." The voice said.  
  
"What the hell does Lee have to do with all this?" he asked.  
  
"Obviously, you don't know enough. Lee Chaolan is the father of Drake Matthews." The voice said.  
  
The thought of sheer panic raced through him, and Hwoarang realized he wouldn't be getting any sleep after all.  
  
"Where." He said.  
  
"There's a bar across the street from your hotel. In ten minutes, go to the bar and order a drink. The bartender knows you're coming." The voice said.  
  
There was a click. The man must have been on a phone. Hwoarang couldn't believe that Lee had fathered that bastard Drake, but he could see the family resemblance. He wanted the sleep, but in light of the information, he decided against it. He went into the bathroom to get dressed.  
  
2:20:22- Le Carre stood outside Wallace's room inside the Airport's Administration building. He couldn't believe the information that came in just a few minutes after he fired Wallace. Le Carre didn't want to believe it.  
  
Apparently, Tokyo police found the car that Liu Pang Ho was shot in, and the cop that was protecting Liu was found, and he was just barely alive. The poor bastard was on life support at a hospital somewhere in town.  
  
His phone rang. He couldn't wait to hear the bad news that was probably on the line.  
  
"Le Carre." He said.  
  
"It's Adam. Something's happened."  
  
"What now?" he said.  
  
"The Combots are gone. I don't know how..." Adam said.  
  
The thought didn't even seem plausible. One shock after another, this night was getting out of control and now it just turned into complete panic and chaos.  
  
"That's impossible. Where could they have gone?" Le Carre said.  
  
"I don't know. They aren't outside, they aren't in the building, and they sure as hell aren't down here. I have no clue where they could have gone." Adam said.  
  
"If they never left the building, and they aren't in there, they must have left through the lab. Check for tunnels or tubes or just anything leading outside of the lab that you didn't know about. I have to go." Le Carre said, hanging up.  
  
He walked into the room, and Wallace looked like he was waiting for Le Carre to come in.  
  
"Gavin. You here to lecture?" Wallace asked.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"What are you referring to?"  
  
"You killed a witness. Not to mention all the crap I fired you for." Le Carre said.  
  
"He wouldn't give up the chip. If I left it with him, Kazuya would track us down and he would have gotten in the way anyhow. The only thing that matters is that I secure the chip." Wallace said.  
  
"Jesus Christ, listen to yourself!"  
  
Le Carre sat down in front of Wallace and stared at him.  
  
"What happened to you? Five years ago, I found you in Quantico, pushing papers for some asshole bureaucrat. I gave you the chance to prove yourself, and then one year later, you were here. I was about to give you a promotion. That was until Terry Branch called with your anger management issues. You hired some kid to do field work and you nearly get him killed, and then you go off and kill a witness!" Le Carre said.  
  
"You sound disappointed, Gav." Wallace said.  
  
"You're going to burn for this one, Al. I can't save you." Le Carre said.  
  
He walked out of the room, having no more feeling whatsoever for the man he was leaving behind.  
  
2:25:13- The bar was crowded at this time of the morning. Most of the people were junkies and party animals, though. Normally, Hwoarang would be one of them. Seeing the way people were jumping up and down to the music, drinking and falling over themselves made him wish for the good old times.  
  
The place itself was designed to be one big rave. There had to be at least a couple hundred people, all of them jumping up and down and having fun all around.  
  
Hwoarang pushed through the horde to the bar, which was fairly empty right now. He figured the band must be having a hot night, and by the sound of it, they must be ending. There was one man who was passed out on one end of the bar. The rest of the bar looked trashed. A tired looking man in his thirties came up to Hwoarang.  
  
"What can I get ya?" he said. "Irish carbomb." Hwoarang replied.  
  
The bartender looked at him again and nodded.  
  
"There's a door behind the bar, next to the passed out guy over there. Access code is 7174." The bartender said.  
  
The guy placed the drink on the bar, and Hwoarang took it, gulping one- third of it down before going to the door.  
  
He punched in the access code and walked in. The room he entered was a boardroom. It had white walls and a black table with six leather chairs surrounding it. There were three men in the room. In the back, behind the men, stood the biggest man Hwoarang had ever seen.  
  
He had to be at least eight feet, Hwoarang thought. The man made him look like a bullet compared to a tank shell. The giant looked powerful; he was obviously there for protection.  
  
The men sat in a triangle form at the table. Two sat across from each other while one sat at the head of the table. This man reached out his hand, motioning for Hwoarang to take a seat.  
  
"Please sit, Mr. Doo San." The man said.  
  
Hwoarang took the seat.  
  
"Who are you guys?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"We represent the Biomedics Corporation. Have you ever heard of us?" the man said.  
  
"No I'm afraid I haven't." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I'm not surprised. For the time being, I'm Len Hanley, and these are my associates." The man said.  
  
"Great. Look, if this isn't too important, I'm just going to ask you to get to the point of this whole thing." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang could tell that Len looked offended.  
  
"Lee Chaolan is trying to produce a virus. That is why he needed Julia Chang." Len said.  
  
"Drake said he had a virus that he could release at a moment's notice. That's what the Combots are for right?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yes. He had a virus ready."  
  
"Then why grab Julia?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Because there is a second virus, and it's more complicated than the first." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang was still a little confused. The first virus was enough to bring the world to its knees. Why would Lee want to make another one?  
  
"Why the second virus? What's it got that the first one doesn't?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"The devil gene." Len said.  
  
"What?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"He needs Julia Chang to splice parts of the Devil gene out of the virus he is making. Did you know that there are only a few Combots that were actually checked out of the lab earlier today? Lee has something planned for them. Our guess is that he plans to finish this version of the virus and release it in the city sometime in the morning." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang sighed. It was worse than he thought. Now Jin was gone too, and he was probably with Lee all along. He didn't understand it. He had been good from the get-go, but why turn now?  
  
"There is a cure, but only to the first version of the virus. You see, our company was supposed to buy this virus after Lee took over Mishima Zaibatzu from Heihachi Mishima. That happened about two hours ago, and since then Lee has cancelled the deal. We took it as a personal insult, and we want to take care of it. The reason we contacted you is because you know him." Len said.  
  
"Not personally, I don't." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Close enough. We want you to go to his estate outside of the city and steal the new version of the virus. When you bring it to us, we can make a cure." Len said.  
  
"Just like that?"  
  
"We are the leading company in the medical field today." Len said.  
  
"I need time to think." Hwoarang said.  
  
2:41:10- Adam had no clue where to start looking. It couldn't have been any of the four walls that the lab floor had. It just wasn't logical. Most doors that would be that size would have some sort of hydraulics somewhere, and so far, he found none.  
  
The four walls were also decorated with some protruding design that would prevent the walls from sliding back, if that was how they opened.  
  
It had to be something with the walls. There were no tubes in the floor, and no openings could be found. The walls were the only other logical choice.  
  
The design on the walls was of two half-circles that were latched next to each other at a diagonal angle. Each wall had two sets, one on each side of the wall, both at opposite angles.  
  
There was something there, but he didn't quite know what it was. He stood back near the elevators, looking at the wall. His arms crossed, he was tapping a pen he had in one hand on his chin.  
  
He had it down to this one wall, because the Combots all faced this direction when they were here. But, how the hell did the wall open.  
  
There were lines in the wall that were making some sort of design that was probably meant for decoration. Adam noticed that lines ran through the two sets of circles. Something was there, and he knew it now.  
  
"You son of a bitch..." he whispered.  
  
Adam suddenly smiled, joyous that he finally figured it out.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" he yelled.  
  
He obviously forgot that there were about ten other people nearby, and they all stopped to stare at what Adam was yelling at.  
  
A woman came up to him.  
  
"What is it?" she asked.  
  
"I know how they got out." He said.  
  
"How?" she asked.  
  
Adam pointed to the wall.  
  
"See the circles? They aren't just decoration. They're hinges. The lines that run through them are the edges of the door. The doors flap open in a triangular shape, and the tunnel is behind it." He said, noticeably overjoyed.  
  
"Well, how do we open it?" she asked.  
  
Adam stood there for a moment, thinking.  
  
"I don't know yet." He said.  
  
2:45:13- Lee was in the basement of the mansion. This was the moment he had been waiting for. The Combots were on their way, but this had to be his crowning achievement.  
  
In front of him were ten Combots, but by looking at them, one would never know it. In fact, you would mistake them for actual people.  
  
Lee had taken the Combots and actually applied everything that it would take for them to look like human beings. Think "The Terminator", only real.  
  
The hard part was getting it done in time. Pictures were taken of the individuals, who all now had evil twins. Lee's crew did a good job on these.  
  
The bots were all of fighters who were in the past Tekken tournaments. He had been careful choosing the fighters he wanted to make. Among them: Jin, Hwoarang, Ling Xiaoyu, Julia Chang, Marshall Law, Forrest Law, Lei Wulong, Anna Williams, Baek Doo San, and Eddy Gordo.  
  
The bots were perfect, especially after the trial run that involved Julia Chang earlier that day.  
  
He walked by them all, each staring straight ahead, waiting for an order. It was all absolutely brilliant looking at them. Lee was nearly speechless.  
  
Nina Williams walked up behind him, and she was almost as speechless. Seeing her sister again was something she wasn't so comfortable with. When she looked at Hwoarang, she realized how different the bot was compared to the real thing. The real thing had short hair, while this one took his traditional long haired look. At least that way, she knew if the damn thing was a robot of not.  
  
"What." Lee said.  
  
Nina had been distracted by the bots. She focused on Lee and the reason she was here.  
  
"I think Jin is working against us. I saw him putting a cell phone away while leaving a bathroom." She said.  
  
"Who do you think he called?" Lee asked.  
  
"Without a doubt, Hwoarang." She said.  
  
"So be it." He said.  
  
"What would you like me to do?" she asked.  
  
"If he tries anything else, use the vials on him. You remember where they are?" he asked. "Yes. It would kill him instantly though. The devil gene inside him would cease to function." She said.  
  
"That's the point, my dear." Lee said.  
  
He turned around to face her.  
  
"Kill him if he tries anything at all. He looks at you wrong, he begins to act suspiciously, he goes off to places by himself, whatever. Kill him if he steps out of line." Lee said.  
  
2:50:33- Le Carre was sitting in Drake's interrogation room. So far, nothing had been said. Le Carre had to be a bit gentler with Drake than he was with Wallace.  
  
"So how's things, Drake?" Le Carre said.  
  
"What do you want to know?" Drake said.  
  
"Who are you working for?"  
  
"My father." Drake said.  
  
"And who's that?" Le Carre said.  
  
"Lee Chaolan."  
  
"So this virus threat still stands?" Le Carre said.  
  
"Yes, it does." Drake said.  
  
"Why Julia Chang?"  
  
"Insurance." Drake said.  
  
"I don't buy it. You don't set up a meet to be able to get her for insurance. What's the ulterior motive?" Le Carre said.  
  
"Insurance." Drake said.  
  
"Why lie? You're not going to be able to cut a deal with us unless you tell us everything." Le Carre said.  
  
"Look, I am telling you the truth. The plan was to release the bots into the city from the lab, they spread out and gradually take over from the inside moving out." Drake said.  
  
"You've obviously been misinformed. The Combots aren't even in the labs anymore, and they certainly are not in the city." Le Carre said. Drake was in disbelief. His father lied to him. He couldn't believe the fact that he was used as bait. At this rate, they would never know what Lee was up to.  
  
2:55:07- Hwoarang didn't want any part of this. He would decline the request, leave, and then pass on the information to Le Carre back at the ATU.  
  
Right now he sat at the same chair, the three men looking at him. The pressure was intense. He figured that these men never really took 'no' for an answer. That's why he was there in the first place. They wanted somebody to exact revenge on Lee for the deal that never went down. The big man in the back of the room would be a tough one if he needed to fight his way out of here. The only problem that he would have was with his heart thanks to this damned blood transfusion.  
  
"No." he said.  
  
"No?" Len said.  
  
"No. I'm not going to do this. Find somebody else." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang rested his arms on the arms of the chair. He leaned back, and suddenly, his arms couldn't move. Looking at them, he could see that they were restrained by metal clasps. Now he couldn't move his legs either.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you have no choice in this matter anymore." Len said.  
  
Len snapped his fingers to a person behind Hwoarang. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.  
  
The man pushed Hwoarang's head to the side and then inserted a needle into his neck. The needle began pumping some sort of yellow liquid into Hwoarang. When it finished, the man took the needle out.  
  
"What did you do to me?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Give the man his hat." Len said.  
  
The same man then put a plastic bag over Hwoarang's head, taking time to tape the bag down at the neck. Hwoarang struggled to get out of his restraints, but it was no use.  
  
He continued to struggle, his anger fuming. Hwoarang knew he was dead, and it was only a matter of time before he ran out of air.  
  
"You see, you have no choice but to help us." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang grew weak, his resistance diminishing. He kept his eyes trained on Len, even as his head hit the table.  
  
He didn't move after that. Hwoarang was dead.  
  
2:59:57... 2:59:58... 2:59:59... 3:00:00... 


	17. 3:00 am 4:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 3:00 am and 4:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
3:00:00- There were only twelve people on the planet who knew some hints as to the origin of the Devil gene. Nine of them were dead, and the other three were actually on there deathbeds.  
  
But it doesn't take a genius to figure out some things about the gene itself. A person who has it is either a) very lucky or b) cursed for the rest of eternity. Most people who know of its existence would say both. For a person who has this gene has damned the rest of his/her family bloodline. The gene is like a virus in some ways. It only feeds off the host's anger and when he/she has a child, the gene is passed on.  
  
The anger of the person is the only way to trigger its effects. Myths had been told for hundreds of years about people who flew around the countryside, looking like a blue devil from hell.  
  
Of course, people only took this as a myth. It wasn't until a man named Heihachi Mishima threw his son, Kazuya, into a volcano.  
  
Kazuya, at that time, was the only person in the world to have the devil gene. It was something that was buried in him, and for most of his life, he was able to quell its hunger for blood.  
  
Then his son, Jin Kazama, was born. The legacy of course had passed on, and until he turned 17, he never knew it. Neither did his mother, Jun. After she died, the anger that filled Jin only helped the devil in him emerge, and eventually, it did.  
  
Then the fourth King of Iron Fist tournament came, and Heihachi came to know that Kazuya had been resurrected. Then Jin entered the tournament, and Heihachi's plan of securing a sample of the gene was coming closer to being a success. It failed however.  
  
To this day, the Devil gene had been in the Mishima bloodline for over five hundred years. That was all about to change.  
  
The gene itself has reproductive qualities unlike any other virus. The gene almost acts like it has a conscious mind, because if the host is injured, it will help reproduce or 'heal' the wound. If the host dies, the gene will fix whatever damage was done, then resuscitate the host.  
  
In this case, the gene was busy discovering a new host: Hwoarang Doo San. As it became familiar with his body's different systems, it began to fix the blood clot that was about to give him a heart attack if he hadn't died a few minutes ago.  
  
The most mysterious phenomenon that accompanies the gene is that when it resuscitates a dead host, it is able to bring them back to life as if they woke from a nap. There are no signs of memory loss, brain damage, or lights at the end of the tunnel. Some people say the gene is a sign of Satan himself, for the people that die and can't see the light, were probably doomed to live in Hell before they were born.  
  
Now, the heart of Hwoarang was beating, and his eyes opened.  
  
The bag had been removed, and his head was lying on the table. He could still feel the restraints in place on his arms and legs. Then a burst of adrenaline came over him like a blanket.  
  
"What the hell did you do to me?" he asked.  
  
It was like it was a few minutes ago. Len and his associates were at the head of the table and the bodyguard was standing behind them. Only this time, Len was smiling.  
  
"You have the virus in you. You are now the proud contributor to the devil gene." Len said.  
  
"You son of a bitch." Hwoarang said.  
  
"You are going to kill Lee Chaolan, and you will retrieve samples of the virus and the cure. The gene was given to you to assist you. But, if you stray from the assignment..." Len said.  
  
Len paused, picking up a remote of the table. He hit a button, a TV that was set on the wall next to Hwoarang turned on. The image was a little distorted at first, but it soon became clear to Hwoarang who was being shown.  
  
Ling was sitting in a cell. It wasn't very big, and it had nothing in it. The cell looked like it was in some sort of prison. Hwoarang doubted it was in the building.  
  
He was speechless. In fact, he was about to nearly break down. He stared at Ling, and then turned to face Len, who was laughing. It was all that Hwoarang could hear. His blood began to boil, and his veins began to pop up. He tried to pull his arms out of the restraints, and Len laughed harder at Hwoarang's resistance.  
  
His eyes suddenly turned to a glowing red that made Len stop laughing immediately. The guard behind Len began to take notice. Then Hwoarang's restraints snapped off. He stood up and moved in Len's direction.  
  
Len ran off just as the guard came to fight Hwoarang, but the poor bastard never stood a chance. Hwoarang's fingernails became as sharp as a knife, and he stuck them into the man's jugular. Blood sprayed everywhere.  
  
Len ran to a clear booth at the back of the giant boardroom they were in. The booth was made of shatter-proof glass, and he prayed it held. He locked the door and watched the guard die, as the blood dripped from the body that Hwoarang was easily lifting with one hand.  
  
Hwoarang then threw the body away from him, which hit the wall and bounced onto the floor. He walked past the two associates of Len's, who happened to be hiding under the table. Calmly walking over to the booth, Hwoarang used his hand to wipe away the blood from his face. He then flicked his hand to the ground, the red liquid splattering against the black tiled floor.  
  
Len became confident again, standing in his glass booth. He pulled out a phone and held it with his outstretched arm. Hwoarang stopped.  
  
"You will do as I say!" Len yelled.  
  
Hwoarang grunted and punched the glass, which cracked under the blow.  
  
"If you don't, I'll call my man and have him kill Ling!" Len screamed, suddenly rolling up into a ball on the floor.  
  
He was obviously afraid of what he had done to Hwoarang. When he didn't hit the booth again, Len regained his composure, stood up and pointed to the table again.  
  
"In the book on the table is a map. It will lead you to a mansion outside of the city to the north. Go there and release your anger. But get me the virus and the cure. If you don't, she dies." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang gave Len a cold stare before turning to pick the book up off the table. He then exited the room.  
  
3:11:20- Le Carre had just hung up the phone with the UN chief. So far, everyone wanted to know the minute he was done with Drake, and now that he was, he only had bad news to deliver.  
  
He had to think of what to do next. Adam was already working on the doors in the lab, Hwoarang was out of it finally, Wallace was in custody, Drake was in custody, Kazuya was gone, and Heihachi was probably at home or at the Mishima Zaibatzu headquarters.  
  
Le Carre knew the Emperor didn't want anyone from the UN to disturb Heihachi, especially at this time of the night. But what else could he do? The one piece of evidence that could put him under arrest for conspiracy was gone. There were no more leads and Le Carre was all out of ideas.  
  
He dialed another number into the phone.  
  
"Katoya." Adam said.  
  
"Adam. It's me. Have you gotten the door opened yet?" Le Carre said.  
  
"No. I don't think we will either. It looks like it's electronically sealed by another local server. I can't gain access." Adam said.  
  
"Ok. Go back to the ATU; I'm going to see Heihachi." Le Carre said.  
  
"You sure about that? I thought the Emperor didn't want us going to him?"  
  
"Look, I'll deal with it. Just get back there in case I find something, ok?" Le Carre said.  
  
Le Carre hung up. He didn't like being questioned, especially during times like this. He put the phone in his jacket pocket and walked outside the building, getting in his car. He began driving to the Mishima Zaibatzu headquarters.  
  
3:16:37- "Julia?" Jin asked.  
  
Julia Chang turned around in the chair that she was chained to. She looked like she had taken a few blows, but not in too bad a shape.  
  
Kazuya had brought him here to the lab on the main floor of the mansion. He never said anything about Julia being here. The shock had hit like a cold slap to the face, and it woke him up.  
  
The lab was small. It looked like a science lab that you would find in a university, only a bit smaller, not as many tables to work on, and more equipment. There was one window, but it was sealed shut. Plus, seeing as it was still dark out, there wasn't going to be a whole lot of light coming in.  
  
The lighting was abundant, though. On the tables surrounding the room, there were wall lights equally portioned around the room. Usually, where there was a spot to put a light, one was there.  
  
One main U-shaped table stood in the center of the room, and Julia was there, working on something. As to what, he had no clue.  
  
Kazuya walked in past Jin. Jin shook himself of his feelings for her and moved on in, trying to look as sadistic as he could.  
  
"Jin. What a surprise seeing you here with your father." She said.  
  
Julia's sarcastic tone obviously made Kazuya angry. He was about to hit her.  
  
"No." Jin said.  
  
Kazuya turned in shock. Jin wouldn't dare talk back like that. Jin then moved up to Julia pulled her by the hair and punched her in the face. She immediately groaned, and bent over as much as she could, holding her face in pain. Jin looked at his father. Kazuya was pleased by Jin's anger. Especially when it was aimed at Julia.  
  
"Lee wanted us to watch her progress on the virus." Kazuya said.  
  
The two stared at Julia, who was checking her nose for blood.  
  
"I'll stay." Jin said.  
  
Kazuya shook his head.  
  
"Lee doesn't fully trust you, and neither do I yet. Even with that little display of affection." He said.  
  
Jin nodded. A guard came into the room and spoke into Kazuya's ear.  
  
"I'll be right back." He said.  
  
Kazuya and the guard left the room. Jin immediately tried to console Julia.  
  
"I'm sorry. I had to." Jin said.  
  
"Oh, really?" she said.  
  
He bent down next to her as she tried to get back to work.  
  
"I'm here to help. I thought it would help put a stop to this. I've already tried to reach Hwoarang." Jin said.  
  
She stopped for a moment.  
  
"Did you speak to him?" she asked.  
  
"He wasn't there, but I left a message." Jin said.  
  
Julia laughed half-heartedly.  
  
"I can get us out of here." Jin said. "I doubt it." She responded.  
  
"I can. I'll unleash the chains, and when Kazuya and I leave, you can slip out." Jin said.  
  
"In case you didn't notice, my ankle is fucking broken. They tortured me for information when I got here." She said.  
  
Jin looked down at her feet. Sure enough, her left ankle was very swollen. She was probably ignoring the pain. No wonder she was in a bad mood.  
  
"My god." Jin said.  
  
Just then, Kazuya began to walk through the door, and Jin grabbed onto of Julia's left breast, squeezed it, and pulled her back, kissing her neck. She tried to resist, but he kept a hold of her.  
  
Kazuya walked over to Jin and tapped him on the shoulder. Jin looked at him with curious eyes.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"It's been a while since I've had...you know." Jin said.  
  
Julia began to silently cry as she got back to work. Kazuya smiled at Jin, a wave of relief falling over the father's face. Jin smiled back at Kazuya, also relieved by his father's reaction.  
  
"Come on, son. You can fuck her later." He said.  
  
Jin began to walk out of the room. He turned back to Julia and mouthed the words 'trust me'.  
  
3:22:14- Something was wrong. Lee could sense trouble brewing on the horizon. Only, he wasn't sure where it was coming from.  
  
He wasn't comfortable with Jin being here. He had been watching Jin's every move so far today and he seemed trusting at first glance, but given Jin's track record for being on the side of the angels, Lee would never trust him. He didn't care what Kazuya thought of Jin, there was no trust present, and there never would be.  
  
The plan was set. In less than two hours the first bot would be on the ground and the virus would be dispersed. Julia was in the lab now making a second strain, one that would be more difficult to crack when it came to making an anti-serum. Lee figured that his demands would be met and he would be the most powerful person in the world in less than twelve hours. He chuckled at the thought.  
  
The only thing that could screw it up was Hwoarang and the anti-terrorism agency of the United Nations. There were at the head of the game, followed closely by the Japanese government, and oddly enough, the British. Lee knew he had the upper hand at this game. Eat your heart out James Bond.  
  
Lee was sitting at his desk. He had been here for about fifteen minutes now, knowing that he would be leaving soon. It would be the last time he would probably be looking at the house. There was some sentimental value and he wanted to cherish it a little.  
  
The laptop on his desk beeped. He moved the mouse, the screen coming back from sleep mode. The Combots were at the estate. He hit a few buttons, and a progress monitor came up.  
  
He got up and moved to the window, looking out at the forest behind the house. It was dense enough that nobody would know that the bots were there. In fact, it was still so dark out, that you really could hide them all back there and nobody would have a chance of finding them until dawn. By then, though, it would be too late.  
  
The first few bots began to pour out of an underground tunnel and into the foliage of the trees. Lee turned around and walked out of the office.  
  
3:26:05- Le Carre had no problem getting into the Mishima Zaibatzu building. The guard okayed the ID and let him on up, seeing as this place still had an outstanding search warrant being served.  
  
He had found about Wallace's little bug in the system, and Le Carre remembered to leave that out of the report he sent to his superiors. They weren't happy about Wallace, and neither was he.  
  
The hall down to Heihachi's office was quiet. The lights were still on, too. If there was somebody here at this time of night, you probably hear something by now. If nobody was here, then the lights would be off. Plus, the guard probably would have told him that Heihachi was asleep or that he left for the night or just something other than 'Go right up'.  
  
Le Carre walked into the office. It was pitch black. Nobody home? He felt for the light switch as he pulled out his gun with his free hand. There was no light switch.  
  
"Lights." He said.  
  
He guessed that Heihachi had a voice recognition system.  
  
"Unrecognized user voice." A female computer voice said.  
  
"Shit." He said.  
  
His mind fumbled, trying to think of something. "Emergency override, lights!" he yelled.  
  
The lights came on, and the terror of the room made him feel like he was being attacked.  
  
The room had blood all over the place. The walls had splatter marks everywhere, the floor was covered with blood footprints, and Heihachi's mutilated body was lying on the floor. His face was pretty much destroyed, the eyes staring at Le Carre as he looked around the room. He turned around and walked out of the room, fighting back the vomit in the back of his throat. He took out his phone.  
  
"Katoya." Adam said.  
  
"Adam, did you get the door open?" he asked.  
  
"No. It's pretty much useless. I was about to go back to the ATU." Adam said.  
  
"Good. When you get there, dispatch a forensics team to Heihachi's office." He said.  
  
"What happened?" Adam asked.  
  
"He's dead, and it looks like Lee took some time with him. He must have had fun placing the body." He said.  
  
Adam responded with a stunned remark, and Le Carre began glancing in Lee's office, which was directly across the hall from Heihachi. A computer monitor glowed from inside the dark office. He walked in, phone still in his hand.  
  
"I've been trying to find out how long this tunnel is, and so far it seems very long." Adam said.  
  
"Emergency override, Lights!" Le Carre said.  
  
The lights came on in Lee's office.  
  
"What's going on?" Adam asked.  
  
"Hold on." Le Carre said.  
  
He walked over to the computer. The monitor was showing a progress level of something that Le Carre didn't at first recognize. It became clear after a moment. Lee moved the bots, and this was the control panel.  
  
"I think I found something." Le Carre said.  
  
He hit some keys on the keyboard and another menu came up. The info that appeared on the screen made Le Carre smile for the first time all night. "I found out where the bots went." He said.  
  
"Where?" Adam said, surprised.  
  
"About five miles outside the city. Here's the address." Le Carre said.  
  
3:31:27- Jin quickly walked into the lab, eager to convince Julia of his plan.  
  
"Julia. I need to talk to you." He said.  
  
She was busy working on the virus. The microscope in front of her was putting strain on her eyes, and at this time in the morning, going on no sleep at all gave her the headache to end all headaches. Plus the fact that he ankle was broken didn't help matters much. She was so busy trying to figure this damned virus out that she didn't even hear Jin or feel him tap her on the shoulder. He finally got her attention when he spun her around to face him.  
  
"What the hell do you want? She asked.  
  
"Julia, I want to get you out of here." He said.  
  
"And how do you expect to do that? I'm injured." She said.  
  
"There's a window. We set fire to the lab and get the hell out of here." He said.  
  
She looked at him with pity. He obviously hadn't thought it through. She had a saying for this whenever Jin was over-dramatic and desperate to make things work. She called it a Kazama. It actually got a small name of it's own during the fourth tournament. She remembered Ling joking about it.  
  
Times had been tough for her since the tournament ended. Her plans on restoring her home hadn't gone as well as she hoped. Funding was low, and people thought it looked amazing as a desert canyon region.  
  
She never really cared for it. It may take more than her lifetime to restore the once beautiful region, but she at least wanted to get a decent start on it. If she never left this lab, that chance would never come. The hopes of restoring her home would dwindle and fade, just like her soul would in the afterlife.  
  
She figured if she stayed here, she was as good as dead at any time. Jin wanted to get out as much as she did, and she wasn't just going to sit there.  
  
"Julia. What do you want to do?"  
  
"Let's do it." She said.  
  
Jin smiled, and then hugged her.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'll be right back." He said.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked.  
  
"I need to make sure Kazuya's distracted." He said.  
  
Just then, Kazuya walked in. Jin saw him, not sure how much he heard.  
  
"What's going on?" Kazuya said.  
  
"Nothing." Jin said.  
  
Jin turned to face Julia. A cold expression came across his face.  
  
"Get back to work." He said.  
  
Jin left the room with his father.  
  
3:38:04- The outside of the house was quiet. Hwoarang had touched down in the front of the house, his newly sprouted black wings retreating back into his skin as he calmed down. The devil inside him had had its fun for now. The task in front of him belonged to his anger. His eyes still glowed red, but not as bright as they were before.  
  
The last thing he grabbed before he left Len's hideout was an antique sword that must have been part of some expensive collection. It was definitely sharp, seeing as he cut his finger on it before he left. Thanks to the gene, the wound was now fully healed.  
  
Hwoarang began to sneak around the complex, sword already out of its sheath. The foliage provided good cover, and the darkness helped even more.  
  
The front of the house looked more was lit up like a Christmas tree. Lights were set along the path of the driveway, and they illuminated the way thorough the trees that surrounded it on both sides.  
  
At the front of the house, two guards were posted, and a third directly inside the house. He couldn't see what was behind the house, and he didn't worry about it either. The devil gene made him feel invincible.  
  
He quietly ran through the woods and came up alongside the house. Sword ready, he came up behind the first guard, who was beginning to yawn. All it took was a quick, silent swipe to the back of the neck.  
  
Blood quickly gushed out as the guard fell to his knees. Hwoarang took the blade and then stabbed at the man's chest at a downward angle. The blade didn't go all the way through, but it made sure the guard was dead.  
  
The other guard caught the tail end of the kill, and immediately rushed over to investigate, just as Hwoarang pulled the blade out of the dead guard and swung at a diagonally upward angle, like a batter. The blade cut through the man's jugular and throat, blood spraying every where. The man gurgled his dying words as he hit the ground.  
  
He ran into the mansion and did the same thing to the guard just inside the door. A guard coming around the corner saw Hwoarang and immediately tried pulling for his gun. Hwoarang pulled the gun off the guard he just killed. But it wasn't fast enough. The new guard began firing, the noise loudly vibrating off the walls of the narrow corridor and missing Hwoarang completely. Hwoarang took the gun and fired back, hitting the guard in the head with one shot.  
  
He put the gun in his waistband, taking the sword and moving on.  
  
3:44:57- Le Carre's Hyundai Tiburon sped down the dark road leading outside of Tokyo. He held the phone in one hand, and the steering wheel in the other. The line rang, and he hoped Adam's phone hadn't died on him. The line picked up.  
  
"Adam." he said.  
  
"Uh, yeah. What do you need?" Adam asked.  
  
"Where are the teams?" he asked.  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Just passing the city limits." He said.  
  
"They're five minutes behind you. I alerted local police and gave them priority control. We are in charge." Adam said.  
  
"Good. Anything on the doors?"  
  
"No. I left hazmat in charge; they're wrapping up the investigation now. I'm on the road, heading back." Adam said.  
  
"Great. I'll call you once the teams are in place." He said.  
  
He hung up and pushed the accelerator harder. The car began to resist, but Le Carre ignored it. The events of the next few hours would all depend on how quickly he got there. He had no idea what to expect, but he just hoped he hadn't missed all the fun.  
  
3:47:12- "Let's move it!" Lee said.  
  
Since the gunfire erupted, he went into panic mode. He had assigned his most trusted men to loading up the eleven bots into the two big rigs.  
  
The mansion had a special loading dock that connected to the basement and the kitchen. The bots were being loaded out from the basement. The first truck was being closed up, and the other truck was nearly complete except for the other two bots that were still on their way.  
  
The bots themselves had not been activated, as it takes a couple minutes to run a diagnostics test before letting them run free.  
  
More gunfire could be heard, closer to the loading dock this time. Whoever it was had some balls to take this place head on. Lee hopped into the cab of the first truck, and the driver started it up.  
  
The door opened and the truck left. Lee looked back at the other truck. A man was closing the door, and the truck started up. It took off, following Lee's lead.  
  
3:50:31- "You son of a bitch!" Kazuya screamed.  
  
Hwoarang stood ten feet away from him on the third floor. He was fairly spattered with blood, but it was ok, seeing as none of it was his. The sword was in his right hand, the glimmering silver trying to shine from under the blood that covered it. A Sig Sauer 9mm pistol in his left hand was running out of ammo. There were only four shots left.  
  
"Come and get it, Kazzy!" Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang smiled like the arrogant son of a bitch that he was. He couldn't help it. The heat of the fight made him feel powerful, especially when he was already on a winning streak.  
  
The hallway they were in was small. Many works of art from various Renaissance artists littered the walls. The hall looked like it was more from an art museum than an actual home.  
  
There was no one around, the guards either running off or dead. Hwoarang didn't know where Jin, Julia, or anybody else was. He had only run into guards at this point. Kazuya was a pleasant surprise though. Last time they met, it was at the fourth tournament and Kazuya had beaten Hwoarang to a nearly bloody pulp. The anger for Heihachi had poured from him and he took it out on Hwoarang. It was the reason Hwoarang never won the tournament. He was too busy recuperating in the hospital.  
  
Kazuya charged at him, and he was ready for it. He decided to have some fun with this and threw the weapons on the ground. Kazuya's anger had blinded him, because Hwoarang ducked out of the way and then tripped the older fighter.  
  
Hwoarang watched Kazuya run into a table and then just as quickly get up. He held his arm out, ala Keanu Reeves, and waved for more. This only pissed Kazuya off even more, and he charged him again. Hwoarang ducked out of the way again, waiting for Kazuya the bull to run past him. No, Kazuya had his arm out, ready to clothesline his target.  
  
Hwoarang slammed to the wood floor and Kazuya took advantage of it. He jumped onto Hwoarang's chest and began punching him in the face. Hwoarang couldn't move, his arms pinned by Kazuya's knees.  
  
When he was done pounding his face in, Kazuya picked Hwoarang up by the hair. He was still dizzy from all the blows to the brain and only felt worse when Kazuya threw him into the wall head-on.  
  
Hwoarang held his head, getting up. Kazuya was in control of this. He kicked Hwoarang in the ribs, and then picked him up by the hair again.  
  
Hwoarang hoped that would happen. He snapped up and jumped backwards, pushing his feet into Kazuya's chest.  
  
Kazuya easily let go of his hair, and fell back against the wall. The fight had dragged on to the end of the hall. The third floor was only this hall and it while it was narrow, it didn't go a long way either. Kazuya got up and set his hand on the window, pushing himself away. He stood there, a cut from his cheek noticeably bleeding.  
  
Hwoarang was stone faced. His nose was bleeding from the blows to his face. He wiped the blood onto his jacket sleeve and spit onto the floor.  
  
Kazuya was waiting for an attack, and Hwoarang was going to give it too him. He charged at Kazuya, yelling all the way.  
  
He was ready to just hit him in the face and get it over with, but Hwoarang was smarter than he looked. Kazuya threw a punch aimed at Hwoarang's face, but he ducked it.  
  
Hwoarang grabbed Kazuya's arm, then swung him around. He let go when Kazuya was in front of the window. He crashed through it, falling into only God knows what.  
  
3:55:38- Nina had taken the past hour getting the anti-serum ready. This was a prototype that Lee had come up with in case they needed to put a test subject down who had been infected with the virus. That was six months ago, and the five vials that contained the serum hadn't been touched since. It took her a while to track them down, too.  
  
Now, she had the gun loaded with the serum and she was on the hunt for Jin. While Lee had told her: 'If it happens again', she wasn't going to listen. She had been an assassin long enough to know that somebody you don't trust shouldn't get a second chance to prove themselves. It would only get you killed.  
  
Kazuya had told her to keep an eye on him, anyway. He was worried that he was spending too much time with Julia and not on the matter at hand.  
  
The house was littered with dead bodies. She could tell that Hwoarang must be here, because only he would be stupid enough to take the entire place by himself.  
  
But Jin wasn't that stupid. She walked near the lab and peeked inside. Julia was sitting at the desk, working with different test tubes and beakers. The gunshots must not have bothered her from working.  
  
She had an idea, and it just might work. She walked into the lab.  
  
"Julia?" she asked.  
  
Julia had a beaker in her hand, and she did the one thing Nina never expected. She threw it at her.  
  
Nina ducked out of the way and the beaker exploded into flames against the wall.  
  
"What the fuck!" Nina screamed.  
  
"I'm getting out of here!" Julia yelled.  
  
Julia was reaching after another beaker, and Nina set the serum gun on the floor. Whatever this bitch was on, Nina was going to put her down. She didn't care what Lee wanted with her. She was either going down, or blowing the house up.  
  
Julia took the beaker and began to throw it, when Nina fired her pistol at her. The shot went through her chest. She dropped the beaker.  
  
Jin ran in, curious about the explosion he heard from the lab. He was met with another explosion. The beaker exploded next to Julia, and it tore her apart.  
  
Jin was knocked to the ground, as was Nina. He looked up, and saw Julia's torso fly past his head. The shock never registered that Julia was dead, since the adrenaline was pumping high octane into his blood.  
  
He sat up and looked over at Nina. She was picking up the serum gun off the floor. She was shouting something that he didn't understand. In fact, he couldn't hear it at all. The only noise he could hear was his heart beating in him.  
  
Nina was getting up off the floor, gun in hand. He knew it couldn't be good and got up himself, running out of the room. Nina fired at him, the shot missing him by a few inches.  
  
Jin ran to the end of the hall. There was a window to the outside there. The fire from the lab was spreading into the hall now, and another explosion rocked the house.  
  
Nina ran into the hall and aimed at Jin. She fired. Jin dived into the window, the shot grazing his arm.  
  
3:59:57... 3:59:58... 3:59:59... 4:00:00... 


	18. 4:00 am 5:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 4:00 am and 5:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
4:00:00- The lab was nearly completely engulfed in flames. Beakers shattered flammable chemicals onto the floor and it only fueled the fire even more.  
  
The body parts of Julia Chang were littered all over the room, burning to a crisp in the fire. The smell was that of a garbage filled trash can that had been left out in the sun for a week. It reeked.  
  
Hwoarang ran into the room, looking for any hint of the vials that Julia had been working on.  
  
He didn't even know Julia died in here, but he knew somebody did. The smell gave it away. His knowledge of death had grown over the few years he spent in the army. The first person he killed had begged for their life. At the time, he didn't know what to do. The man had started to talk of his wife and children, and Hwoarang honestly felt sorry for the guy. But it never stopped him for putting a bullet in his head. After all, it wasn't personal.  
  
With the adrenaline running full blast, Hwoarang frantically secured the last two vials of the cure and of the virus that was lying in a beaker holder on the floor. It was clearly marked as to what was what. He picked them up and ran out of the room, the smoke beginning to fill his lungs.  
  
Another explosion rocked the house, the wall behind Hwoarang blowing off from behind him. The shockwave itself knocked him to the ground. He got up and ran to the front door, putting the four vials in a pocket on his army jacket.  
  
Outside, he could see headlights coming towards the house. Were they reinforcements? He couldn't tell, but he wasn't going to wait to find out either. He ran off into the woods at a full sprint.  
  
After going for about fifty yards, he couldn't see anything, but he could hear more explosions coming from the house. He also heard the sound of leaves rustling in the distance. He went for his gun, but realized that he left it in the house, along with the sword.  
  
"Shit." He whispered.  
  
He heard it coming closer, this time from behind him. He still couldn't see anything. Hwoarang ran off to the north, hoping whoever he heard wouldn't chase him. He tried to watch his step, not knowing anything about the terrain ahead of him. His eyes were adjusted to the darkness, but he couldn't see much anyways. The moon had been covered by clouds that began to roll in about an hour ago. He then began to fall down a hill. It's exactly what he was afraid of happening.  
  
"Fuck!" he yelled as he lost his footing.  
  
A pair of hands suddenly grabbed him. One hand was over his mouth, cutting off any sound, the other under his arm and across his chest, keeping him stable.  
  
"Shh. It's me." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't know what the hell Jin was doing. In fact, he was still under the impression that Jin was a bad guy. Jin pulled Hwoarang up onto level ground, and immediately, Hwoarang pushed him away.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" he yelled.  
  
Hwoarang turned to face Jin and tackled him to the ground. In a blind rage, he straddled Jin and kept trying to punch his face. Jin thought was calm, not understanding why Hwoarang was attacking him now, but he was used to the beatings overall. Jin usually won these fights where Hwoarang would blindly attack him, furious for one reason or another. Jin didn't understand why he didn't take the time to think before trying to kick someone's ass.  
  
His arms began to ache, the fists landing faster than they usually did. He then let them down, his arms now pushing onto Hwoarang's chest. Jin used the momentum to roll over onto Hwoarang. A few punches connected with Jin's face, which he ignored.  
  
The move took Hwoarang off guard. Jin then pulled one fist back and hit him hard in the face. His face bolted to the right, a small splatter of blood exiting his mouth onto the fresh grass. Then, Jin hit him hard in the stomach, the blow having twice as much effect seeing as Hwoarang was lying on the ground.  
  
Jin got up off of him, Hwoarang immediately holding his stomach with one hand, his mouth with the other.  
  
"You finished?" Jin asked.  
  
"Far from it." Hwoarang said.  
  
He sprung up out of nowhere and charged at Jin, who stood his ground and gave Hwoarang an uppercut. He then fell to the ground.  
  
"Calm down, man. You're going get yourself hurt." Jin said.  
  
"Fuck you." Hwoarang mumbled, getting up onto his knees.  
  
Jin watched Hwoarang get up off the ground, who was spitting blood out from his mouth. Jin offered his hand, but he just ignored the offer.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jin asked.  
  
"I'm here for the virus."  
  
"So am I. Did you get my message?" Jin said.  
  
"What message?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"The one I left on your cell phone."  
  
Hwoarang pulled out his phone. He flipped it open and checked the LCD display. Sure enough it showed that he had a message.  
  
"I didn't know you called."  
  
"Well I did. I tried to tell you about all this." Jin said.  
  
"How the hell are you even breathing? I saw you get shot to death." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Guess. The gene I carry is the one to thank. Now I get to live with knowing I was reanimated." Jin said.  
  
"Well I can join you."  
  
Jin stared at Hwoarang, well at least of what he could see in the darkness.  
  
"What do you mean?" Jin asked.  
  
"I have the devil gene. Somebody that happens to be an enemy of Lee's gave it to me about an hour ago. I died, too." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Damn. I'm sorry." Jin said.  
  
"We don't have time for apologies. The guy who gave it to me wanted me to get samples of the virus and the cure, as well as killing Lee in the process."  
  
"And you agreed?"  
  
"I didn't have a choice. He has Ling as a hostage." Hwoarang said. "What the hell does Ling have to do with this?" Jin asked.  
  
"Long story. All I know is that she kept a dirty secret from all of us, and I'll let her explain that. But we need to find her first. I got the vials, but not Lee." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Vials?"  
  
"I have two samples of both the virus and the cure. I saw a car as I ran into the woods. I need you to go check it out. I imagine that it was probably somebody from the ATU. If it is, give him these two vials. One's the cure, and the other is the virus. I'm going to go visit this guy who has Ling."  
  
"You'll be ok?" Jin asked.  
  
"I died once, didn't I?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
Jin smiled at the careless remark. He took the two vials from Hwoarang and ran back towards the house. Hwoarang stayed behind. He tried to focus his anger, trying to get his wings to sprout.  
  
Memories of all the bad events over the past two years began to come to mind. First, his beating from Kazuya at the fourth tournament came back. All the blows and all the pain flooded his consciousness as if it was actually happening for again. He leaned his arms up against a tree, his head hanging through the gap his arms created. He painfully moaned as his the wings began to sprout through the skin on his back.  
  
The next memory was of Korea after he was captured by the Army. The torture was unthinkable. It felt so real to think about it, almost as if he was actually there.  
  
He was chained up to a wall, his arms hanging above him. Two men stood in front of him and began to hit him with their fists. After a few minutes, they began to go at him with a cattle prod and various types of knives, which they used to slowly slice at his skin. The screams were something that he knew would always keep him up at night for the rest of his life.  
  
The wings had come out again. His jacket was torn to shreds and Hwoarang pulled off what was left of his beloved Army jacket. The anger inside him coming to a head once again, Hwoarang took off and flew into the night.  
  
4:12:29- The car that had pulled up to the house was Le Carre. He immediately bolted out of the car, leaving the engine running.  
  
He didn't know what to expect, but he could see the flames erupting from the far left side of the mansion. Pulling out his gun, he entered the house.  
  
The front hall was littered with bodies, the faint smell of copper telling him that there was a lot of blood spilled. The amount on the walls alone was enough to make a man sick. Le Carre wasn't surprised by the sight, seeing as he saw Heihachi's mutilated body in about the same shape as these poor bastards.  
  
He followed the bodies all the way to the fire, which was now burning up the stairwell that led to the third floor as well as the basement. The whole house was empty. Everyone who was still there was dead. Le Carre began to run towards the front of the house when he suddenly met face to face with Jin. Le Carre raised his gun.  
  
"Whoa!" Le Carre yelled, surprised.  
  
Le Carre fired at him. Jin dived behind a table, the shots going into it.  
  
"Don't shoot!" Jin yelled.  
  
Le Carre held his aim on the table. He wasn't about to take any chances, especially since Jin was about twice his size and half his age.  
  
"Come out from behind the table slowly." Le Carre said.  
  
Jin came out, hands over his head. He kept his eyes focus on Le Carre, a 'Don't fuck with me' look on his face.  
  
"Outside." Le Carre said.  
  
Jin walked outside, a flurry of headlights pulling up next to Le Carre's car. They were some type of SWAT vans. Jin hesitated a moment, but kept going as soon as he felt the barrel of Le Carre's gun press into his back.  
  
"Keep moving." Le Carre said.  
  
The two moved out to Le Carre's car, where three team leaders stood, waiting for orders.  
  
"I need all teams to move in on the house. There's no resistance, but I need any type of information to be collected before the house burns to the ground. Collect anything ranging from computers, files, to whatever. If it looks important, grab it and bring it out here. I'm going to try to establish a command center." Le Carre said.  
  
"Yes, sir!" the three team leaders said.  
  
Le Carre motioned for Jin to sit on the hood, putting his gun back in his holster. Jin took a seat on the hood. Le Carre knew that Jin wouldn't attack, and it wasn't because of the teams either. It was just a genuine feeling that most people got when they were around him. Even if he looked like he just got out of a bar fight, there was something reassuring about his presence. Le Carre could put his finger on it, but he wasn't worried about it too much.  
  
"Are you Le Carre?" Jin asked.  
  
"Depends." Le Carre said.  
  
Jin looked at him. The suit, the brown trench coat, the somewhat disheveled hair, the growing five o'clock shadow; it all said that this was the guy.  
  
"Hwoarang wanted me to give you something." Jin said.  
  
"What's that?" Le Carre said.  
  
Jin took out the two vials and handed them to Le Carre.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"Let me explain. That contains a virus as well as the cure. The virus was made from the devil gene that my family bloodline carries." Jin said.  
  
"You're saying that this virus that Lee plans to release is the devil gene?" Le Carre said.  
  
"Yes. I don't know how though. They never let me that close." Jin said.  
  
"Ok. Let's take this one topic at a time. First, how is Hwoarang involved?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"I tried calling him a little after two. He came here about ninety minutes later. I talk to him ten minutes ago. He didn't go into details, but he said that Ling Xiaoyu was kidnapped by someone who wants Lee dead. He said she would be killed if Hwoarang didn't do what he wanted. Somehow, he was given the devil gene along the way and then killed. That way they knew it worked." Jin said.  
  
Le Carre took a moment to have this soak in.  
  
"So they killed Hwoarang, and the gene brought him back?" Le Carre asked.  
  
Jin pulled back the collar on his jacket to show the neck wound that was fully healed, a scar showing the damage that was once there.  
  
"It always does. I died from this wound, and I'm still here." Jin said.  
  
"Jesus. I don't even want to think about what would happen if this was released to the population, or the public finding out that it brings people back to life."  
  
"You forgot the wings." Jin said.  
  
"Wings?"  
  
"Yeah. With this gene, when you get angry, you turn into a devil." Jin said.  
  
"Great. It seems like the problems just keep adding up. So where is Hwoarang at?" Le Carre said.  
  
"Taking the virus to the guy who has Ling." Jin said.  
  
"He's what?" Le Carre said, shocked.  
  
4:23:06- Flying back to the city was much faster than he ever expected. So fast in fact, that it was the fastest ride he ever took.  
  
Right now, he was about twenty feet from trying to land on a rooftop just inside of downtown Tokyo. The city was dead at this time of night, everyone either sleeping or just getting up. Anyone that was awake was either suffering from insomnia or going through some sort of midlife crisis.  
  
The wind was howling, but he was used to it now that he could fly. His feet came down on the rooftop, causing him to run in order to slow down the momentum.  
  
Catching his breath, he stood there for a moment, trying to calm down. But he couldn't wait for the wings to hide. Hwoarang pulled out his phone and called Len.  
  
"Yes." Len said, picking up after the first ring.  
  
"I have the cure and the virus." Hwoarang said.  
  
"And Lee?" Len asked.  
  
"He got away before I could get to him." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Pity. Come back to the club. We'll talk then." Len said, hanging up.  
  
Hwoarang put the phone in his pocket. His wings still out, Hwoarang ran to the edge of the building and jumped, taking off in flight.  
  
4:27:53- The teams had pretty much brought everything salvageable out of the home in short time. One of the main things Le Carre was checking out was a laptop that must have been from Lee's office.  
  
It was the first thing they brought out before the ceiling came down on the entire office. If there was any hint of Lee's plan on here, he wouldn't need anything else from the house. Especially since he now held the virus and the cure. Once he was done here, Le Carre would go back to the ATU with Jin and give Adam the vials while tracking down Lee. The plan sounded like a piece of cake, but then again, not everything goes according to the plan.  
  
The computer had booted up and it asked for a password, which he didn't have. He tried various guest logins, but none of them worked. He rebooted and brought up a prompt. Le Carre then attempted to hack in. He knew a little about back doors and other methods of hacking into computers, but it had been years since he really needed to do it himself. There was usually somebody else to do it for him, which had made him soft on the subject. This was the test that would prove whether or not he actually had gone soft.  
  
It took him a few more minutes to try to collect possible user names to the account, as well as passwords that could go to it. It looked as if Lee had made a couple dummy accounts. This was actually in place in case somebody was physically in front of the computer, trying to break in. The names would take a hacker longer to break through, which might give the owner of the computer enough time to figure out that somebody is breaking into their system. In this case, Lee was probably expecting it.  
  
The names were easy to get around and now Le Carre was in. The files weren't scattered all that much. In fact, most of Lee's documents were in a specific folder right on the desktop. He quickly began to look through them all, checking the 'Properties' tab for the files most recently accessed. He came up with about four, all had picture slideshows attached to them.  
  
Le Carre opened the first file, which was a diary of sorts, which Lee had made an entry to about an hour ago. He had talked about how he felt having Heihachi killed and what he felt when he decided to mutilate the body, leaving it to be discovered.  
  
The second file though was more interesting. It was on the Combot production and among other things, the tunnel from the labs. He skipped it, making a note to come back to it.  
  
The third file was what he was looking for. It was the ace that would Le Carre the game. Inside were photos and specs on the eleven Combots that were checked out of the lab earlier in the day. The photos showed the bots in a finished state where a skin exoskeleton had been placed over the bots themselves. The pictures were of Jin, Hwoarang, Ling Xiaoyu, Julia Chang, Marshall Law, Forrest Law, Lei Wulong, Anna Williams, Baek Doo San, and Eddy Gordo.  
  
Le Carre stared at Jin's name. If Jin was doubled, then was the man he talked to really Jin Kazama? He looked up to Jin, who was sitting on ground outside, trying a cigarette from one of the team leaders on site. Jin coughed and looked like he was about to throw up. The other man laughed at Jin's inexperience. Jin handed the butt back to the man, who gladly took it.  
  
Le Carre closed the file and opened the fourth. He was only able to catch a glimpse of one picture when the entire file suddenly deleted itself.  
  
"What the hell?" he said.  
  
The file closed then disappeared off the list. The other three files still remained.  
  
4:32:16- The bar was empty now, the lights still on.  
  
Hwoarang walked into the building, the room feeling much bigger than it once had. The feeling of claustrophobia was not even present on his second visit. The club had never been cleaned since the crowds left. Len must have janitors come in during the day.  
  
He walked in through the door next to the bar, the code having never been changed. Len was sitting in the same chair, the smile on his looking as if it had never faded.  
  
The room had obviously been cleaned. The other men gone and the dead body of the guard was no longer on the floor. The blood had also been washed off the walls. The room was as spotless as when he first saw it  
  
"How are you?" Len asked.  
  
"Tired." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that. Please sit down." Len said.  
  
Len was regarding to the chair Hwoarang sat in once before. Hwoarang stared at it for all of a second.  
  
"No, I think I've had enough with chairs this evening." He said.  
  
The smile disappeared from Len's face. He held out his right hand.  
  
"The vials." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang walked over to him and set them in his hand. A scientist came into the room. Len didn't even look at the man as he handed the vials off to him.  
  
"Where's Ling?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Not just yet. You still have to kill Lee." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang knew that Len could kill her at a moment's notice and he didn't bother arguing. He still had his phone and he knew that if he needed help he could call Le Carre.  
  
"Where is he?" Hwoarang asked. "I'm not exactly sure, but I do know this..." Len said.  
  
Len slid a piece of paper across the table towards Hwoarang. He grabbed it and looked at it. It was an address.  
  
"What's this?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"It's an address to an apartment over in the Minato district. It's not far from Sengakuji station. I believe Lee will be there within the hour. Kill him and Ling will be free to go." Len said.  
  
"And I have your word on that?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yes, you have my word." Len said.  
  
"I'll hold you to that, you know?" Hwoarang said.  
  
4:38:59- Lee Chaolan was busy going through notes on his new laptop. He always had duplicates of his computer wherever he went. He had a feeling that the computer back at the mansion was found, and hopefully the proper authorities hadn't found anything on it yet.  
  
He was entering the Minato district now, heading to the first drop-off location on his list. Lee had four places to go, and they each were specifically chosen so that the virus would infect the maximum amount of people. One place Lee had chosen within the past hour. It was very particular, and if Jin ever found out about it, he would know that it was intentional. Lee wanted to rub it in that bastard's face.  
  
Lee's phone rang.  
  
"Yes." Lee said.  
  
"It's me."  
  
It was Kazuya. Lee was wondering when he would call.  
  
"I thought you had forgotten about me." Lee said.  
  
"Not a chance." Kazuya said.  
  
"Where are you?" Lee said.  
  
"Near the National Diet Building. Hwoarang showed up." Kazuya said.  
  
"That's no surprise." Lee said.  
  
"But he has the devil gene." Kazuya added.  
  
Lee's heart skipped a beat. The many different problems that arose in his mind made him stop typing on his keyboard and think about where Hwoarang could have acquired the gene.  
  
"Are you absolutely sure he had it?" Lee asked.  
  
"Yes. I could sense it. I only feel that when I'm near Jin." Kazuya said.  
  
"Damn. We have a leak somewhere. I'm wondering if Len has anything to do with this." Lee said.  
  
"You cut the deal with him right?"  
  
"I told him that I had to call it off because I had other plans for the virus."  
  
"Maybe he doesn't take no for an answer." Kazuya said.  
  
"Well, he'll have to; otherwise I'll be forced to pay him a visit." Lee said.  
  
"Where do you want me to be?"  
  
"Get some rest. I'll call this number in about an hour." Lee said.  
  
"What about you?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"I'm headed over to the first drop off point. I should be there within twenty minutes, but I have some business to attend to." Lee said.  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"An employee that I have to let go." Lee said.  
  
"I understand." Kazuya said, hanging up.  
  
4:44:30- The fire department had arrived and put the fire out.  
  
Jin was sitting on a dining room chair that was salvaged from the fire. He knew that he was in custody, but that didn't matter. Jin knew whatever charges were against him would be dropped. He had attacked a guard and locked him in a closet. He also attacked Ling, and the odd thing was that he didn't even know it was her until Le Carre told him a moment ago that she was there.  
  
Le Carre had been trying to talk to Jin for the past twenty minutes, but Le Carre had been constantly called away to other things around the perimeter. Jin yawned and wondered where Hwoarang was. His thoughts were cut short by Le Carre, coming over for part five of their conversation. Jin was bored. For some annoying reason, whenever he was tired and couldn't sleep, he always wanted to fight. The thought of hitting something hard made him feel good. He dismissed the thought, probably the devil gene wanting some attention. Le Carre stood next to him.  
  
"Where were we?" Le Carre said.  
  
"I think you were wanting to know more about the devil gene."  
  
"Right." Le Carre said.  
  
"Well, the best thing I can do is to describe my experiences with it." Jin said.  
  
"Fire away." Le Carre said.  
  
"Well, I first ran into it at the end of the third King of Iron Fist tournament. My grandfather shot me and before I was able to die, the gene turned me into a devil. When I was that 'thing', I had no control over what I did at first. Eventually, I slowly gained my senses back and turned back to normal. I was expecting to be in pain from the gunshot but the gene had healed it completely." Jin said.  
  
"Is this something we can expect if the virus is released?"  
  
"I would. If people start sprouting wings, there's going to be a lot of confused people out there." Jin said.  
  
"How is it, uh, 'activated'?" Le Carre asked.  
  
Jin stared at him, not sure what he meant.  
  
"You mean how do the people turn?" Jin asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, it's usually always been intense anger with me. But I imagine it could be brought on by intense situations." Jin said.  
  
"Ok. I got one more question. Are you a Combot?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Answer it."  
  
"Of course not!" Jin said.  
  
"I got some intel off of Lee's computer. It listed Combots that were made to look like you and ten of your friends, including Hwoarang." Le Carre said.  
  
"Well, I'm no Combot. I can guarantee that." Jin said.  
  
"Good." Le Carre said.  
  
4:53:17- Hwoarang was walking down the street where the apartment was located. Every once in a while he passed an apartment window that was lit up. The owner had probably just gotten up.  
  
Hwoarang didn't know the neighborhoods that well, seeing as Tokyo was just so damn big. This was probably the only time of the night where you could actually be alone in the city.  
  
The apartment was more like an oversized house. It was probably a hot market item, seeing as it had a driveway and probably supported a large family. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He didn't find a key under the mat either. There wasn't a car in the driveway, so either nobody was home or nobody lived here.  
  
Hwoarang didn't want to just necessarily sit out in the open. If Lee was coming here, he'd be a sitting duck.  
  
He needed to call Le Carre, but he didn't have the number. Then it hit him, he did have the number. Hwoarang took out his wallet and checked the card to the hotel that Le Carre had given him. Sure enough, Le Carre's cell phone number was on the back. He took out the phone and punched it in.  
  
"Yeah." Le Carre said.  
  
"It's Hwoarang."  
  
"Hey! Just the man I've been trying to find. What's the situation?"  
  
"Did you get the vials from Jin?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. He told me that Ling had been taken hostage by some guy who wants Lee dead?"  
  
"Yeah. It's a guy by the name of Len Hanley. He said he runs the Biomedics Corporation. It was about some deal that Lee reneged on at the last minute. Len wants him dead for it, not to mention the virus. I had to give it to him. But the good thing about that is that you have both the virus and the cure, same as him." Hwoarang said.  
  
"So what did he say when you told him that Lee was alive?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"He gave me the address for a house in the Minato district. He said Lee was supposed to show up here soon."  
  
"Jesus Christ!" Le Carre said.  
  
"What is it?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I had a team checking the perimeter around the house. They just found the Combots in the woods. They said that by the looks of it, these things are still organizing in there and the stretch looks like it could go on for miles." Le Carre said.  
  
"My God." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I'm going to get back to you." Le Carre said, hanging up.  
  
Hwoarang put the phone in his pocket. What was the point in putting the bots in the woods? Was Lee trying to hide them or was he just trying to divert us from something else.  
  
Hwoarang walked to the edge of the driveway. A car was driving down the street at a very fast speed, swerving all over the place. It straightened a bit, the headlights shining into Hwoarang's eyes. The car then swerved in his direction.  
  
He sprinted up the driveway, the car coming at him at about fifty miles per hour. He dived at the front door, breaking it in.  
  
The car crashed into the house.  
  
4:59:57... 4:59:58... 4:59:59... 5:00:00... 


	19. 5:00 am 6:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 5:00 am and 6:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
5:00:00- Light was beginning to fill the sky. It was just that right time where it wasn't dark and the sun wasn't up either. It was almost as if it was a video game with some sort of unidentified light source making the world glow.  
  
Downtown was a spectacular view at this time in the morning. If you were facing the sun, the buildings would look completely black, the sky becoming brighter behind them. It almost felt poetic, seeing the light of day coming in to vanquish the darkness of night.  
  
The light was seeping into the house that Hwoarang was currently lying in. He was sprawled out on what would be the main entrance to the apartment building. It was a small building that really looked like an oversized house. The door was lying on the floor next to Hwoarang.  
  
When the car hit, a good chunk of the wall supporting the main entrance had been destroyed, pieces of bricks flying everywhere, one of which nailed Hwoarang in the back, sending him to the floor. The small room now looked more like a construction site than a luxury apartment entrance.  
  
The faint smell of burnt engine oil invaded his nostrils. He groaned, his head having hit the floor with more of an impact than he cared for. Hwoarang got up, looking at the car that was currently sticking through the wall. Smoke was coming out of the hood, and he figured it was from the engine.  
  
He climbed out of hole that the car made, seeing as one door was smashed in, bent to hell and the other door was locked. Looking through the windshield, he could see somebody inside, their body lying across the front seats. He jumped off the hood and tried to open the driver's door. It wasn't locked, but the impact had bent the frame of the car back enough to where opening a door was nearly impossible. Hwoarang struggled as the door refused to move. He decided to give up on that, and instead kicked the window out.  
  
The real shock came when he actually saw who was inside. It was Nina. By the looks of it, Hwoarang could tell she was shot at least once in the stomach, and once in the arm. He had no clue how she was able to drive in that condition, but Nina was a person who could easily surprise.  
  
Was she being chased? Was it a sniper? The latter thought caused him to spin around, cautiously watching the other buildings on the street, looking for a sniper of some sort. It took him a moment to assure himself that a sniper wasn't present. He realized he was beginning to get paranoid, the effect of not having slept in over forty hours finally getting to him.  
  
None of this made sense. What the hell was Nina doing that would get her killed? And why would she come here of all places? Wouldn't she go to a hospital? His mind kept racing for possibilities as to why Nina would be here, but he realized that he wasn't the type of person to answer that question.  
  
Hwoarang walked down to the edge of the driveway, cell phone in hand. As Le Carre's line rang, he looked out at the neighborhood. Faces could be seen all up the block, people who were curious as to what the ruckus was so early in the morning. It was early, and this was one of the last few days where the sun would be up so early. Daylight Savings Time was a pain in the ass, but hey, at least it made the summer nights brighter. His mind began to daydream, only to be jerked back into reality when the line clicked.  
  
"Le Carre." He said.  
  
"It's Hwoarang."  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"Nina Williams is dead. She was shot before reaching the house. Her car went right into it. There's still no sign of Lee yet."  
  
"Any idea what she was doing there?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"None. You?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Jin told me that she was here at the mansion. I'm thinking she was with Lee. He must have killed her. Do you think we were getting too close?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"No. If we were too close he would have released the virus by now." Hwoarang said.  
  
"How do we know he hasn't?"  
  
"We don't. But Lee's ego is big enough to know that if he released it, he would have announced it." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I hope you're right. But in the meantime, I'm working on trying to examine all the bots over here. And I found something on Lee's computer. There were ten bots that Lee had set aside. He gave them skin exoskeletons." Le Carre said.  
  
"They look human?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"They may not be anatomically correct, but they look damn real enough. His computer gives the identities to nine of them. The tenth one could be anyone." Le Carre said. A van turned onto the street. Hwoarang looked at it. He couldn't see anything because of its tinted windows, but whoever was driving was in a hurry. The van was obviously speeding. It drove right by Hwoarang, the wake blowing into his face.  
  
"What're the identities?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"To begin with: You and Jin, Ling, Julia Chang, Marshall Law, Forrest Law, Anna Williams, Lei Wulong..." Le Carre read off.  
  
Hwoarang looked in the direction the van came from. Off in the distance, a black man was running hard towards him. He was still so far off that Hwoarang never thought anything of it.  
  
"...and Eddy Gordo."  
  
The name came over the line at the same time Hwoarang recognized the face of the man running at him. He knew it wasn't Eddy. It may have not been a trap, but whatever it was, he walked into it. The van must have been Lee's, and Eddy was obviously a bot.  
  
"I have a problem. Eddy is running to me." Hwoarang said.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"That means that one of these fuckers is about to chase me."  
  
"How can I help?"  
  
The bot was less than a block away and Hwoarang took off, running away. It wasn't a sprint, though, because the phone was still in his hand.  
  
"Tell Jin to meet me at Azabu Jaban Station. I'm going to need his help." Hwoarang said, and he hung up.  
  
5:10:16 – "Where are you?" Lee asked.  
  
He was on his cell phone. The man on the other end was somebody significant to the plan this late in the game, and he was sure that the man would not fail him.  
  
"I'm outside the stadium." The voice said.  
  
"The guard should be arriving soon for his shift. The game starts at ten; we should be there by nine. Does anybody know that you are there?" Lee asked.  
  
"No. I walked here, and I've watched my step. Just make sure you arrive on time." The voice said.  
  
"I'll be there." Lee said.  
  
He hung up, not caring to hear the secret player on the other end talk back to him.  
  
The van he sat in was parked below the fifty-three story apartment building that made up only a part of Roppongi Hills. The entire area was a brand new center that was labeled "A city within a city". Right now, thousands of people were upstairs inside the building, sleeping.  
  
He hesitated a moment. The thought of hundreds of people turning into devils was fairly disturbing. He had never seen it happen in person, but he had seen numerous pictures of Jin and Kazuya turning into devils. Was he playing God? Maybe, but it had to be done.  
  
Lee pushed the second thoughts out of his head and looked over at the driver.  
  
"It's time."  
  
The two got out of the van and opened up the back doors. Inside were the bots, but he wanted only two in particular: Marshall Law and Forrest Law. Lee took a deep breath and stepped back inside.  
  
5:15:20 – Now the shit hit the fan. It was about time, too. Jin was sick of waiting for somebody to make the first move, and now that it had been made, it was going to be complete chaos from here on out.  
  
Lee was insane. What did he hope to accomplish from turning millions of people into devils? Money couldn't have been a reason, since the amount would logically be so high that the government would never be able to pay it.  
  
The thought of 'why' was something he wasn't worried about; it was just stopping it all together that was his main purpose. The questions he had could be answered later.  
  
Sunlight began to creep through the trees causing a glare that made him squint when it hit his eyes just right. He walked over to the car that Le Carre had pulled up in earlier, keys in hand. Le Carre said Hwoarang called and that he was in trouble. All he needed to know was where and how to get there. Le Carre had then handed him a set of keys, and told him the name of the station. Jin recognized the station and began to plot a mental traffic plan, seeing as that the roads were likely going to be very crowded soon.  
  
The car started up, and before he could put it in drive, Le Carre began tapping on his window. Jin was a bit anxious to get out of there. It wasn't just because of Hwoarang, but it was because he didn't enjoy staying out here knowing that Julia died a little over an hour ago.  
  
"What?" Jin asked.  
  
"You might need these." Le Carre said.  
  
He handed Jin a gun and a cell phone. Jin took the phone, rejecting the offer of the gun. He never got used to them, and using them yesterday at the courthouse felt awkward. Just thinking about it reminded him of Heihachi, and the way the old bastard stood over him. Jin could still barely remember the smell coming from the barrel of the gun.  
  
"No guns. I never liked them." Jin said.  
  
"Whatever. If you need me, I'm '1' on the speed dial." Le Carre said.  
  
"Fine." Jin said.  
  
With that, he pulled off, nearly running over Le Carre's feet in the process. Jin floored the accelerator, beginning the thirty-minute trek to downtown Tokyo. He just hoped Hwoarang wasn't getting his ass handed to him.  
  
5:17:17 – Le Carre took out his phone and dialed up Adam. He couldn't believe how big of a clusterfuck this whole situation was. He had Jin and Hwoarang out and about, he was here trying to get a lead off the Combot farm that was sitting out in the woods, and Adam was back at the ATU doing only God know what. If this operation didn't get organized soon, Lee was going to win.  
  
The site of the burnt-down house was a dead end. The bots were here, but the action was back in town. Since the fire, dozens of teams showed up, including a Hazmat team. They were interested due to the incident back at the labs. He could care less. The only thing he worried about was if the bots escaped. There were enough men here; it was safe to leave. The phone on the other end of the line picked up.  
  
"ATU, Katoya." Adam said.  
  
"Adam, it's Gavin."  
  
"What do you need?" Adam asked.  
  
"Are the diagnostics back on the robot we set up?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Well the team had to be told what to do step by step. The test is being run on five of the bots and the tests just started. It's going to take a little while." Adam said.  
  
"How long?"  
  
"It could take anywhere from ten minutes to two hours." Adam said.  
  
"That's time we don't have. Look, I found something on Lee's computer. He took ten of these bots, and we know the identities of nine of them. I want to try and map out possible targets that are highly populated. It'd be the most likely place that Lee would attack." Le Carre said.  
  
"I'm on it. What about you?" Adam asked.  
  
"I'm going to be bringing a bot back with me, we can have somebody run through it, try to find something. There's a perimeter being set up here now that we have a good amount of men here." Le Carre said.  
  
"So you're coming back here?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I'll have a forensic team set up for the bot." Adam said.  
  
"Great. Thanks." Le Carre said.  
  
He hung up and took a deep sigh of relief. At least they were still moving. Slowly, but surely.  
  
5:22:35 – Moving though was the last thing Hwoarang wanted to be doing right now. He had run nearly a mile now, and the bot was still after him as if it was just getting warmed up.  
  
The bot looked exactly like Eddy. Hwoarang's mind wandered for a moment, trying to keep his thoughts away from the murderous stitch in his side and the sleeplessness that fatigued him. His first thought was if the real Eddy was dead. The possibility was there, but Hwoarang doubted it. Eddy was a good enough fighter and smart enough to stay hidden if he knew someone was after him.  
  
The one factor that kept Hwoarang from considering him dead was the fact that if they took the time to kill Eddy, they would have taken the time to kill everyone else on that list. Some were dead, but most of them must have died after the bots were finished. Nina and her sister, Anna, were dead. Julia was dead. Lei, Marshall, and Forrest were unknown. Jin was still alive. Baek, as far as knew, was still alive. Ling might still be alive. Hwoarang knew he was still breathing, barely.  
  
He hoped to God that the subway was open. Japan's subways close during the night, and he wasn't sure when they open.  
  
Looking behind him, the bot was still closing distance. The damn thing was running like the fucking Terminator. Seeing it for real was actually quite terrifying. The fact that it looked like any normal man, but under the skin, there were metal gears and computers making the choices and making the moves.  
  
Hwoarang got a second wind as he noticed lights on in the station. The gates were up and seeing the open space of the tunnels that led to the actual station made him literally leap down the stairs, nearly killing himself in the process.  
  
Behind him the bot continued to give chase, taking the stairs three at a time. Something like that would make scientists drool. The most impressive thing of the Combots was its ability to make choices in the middle of an action. Like this chase for example: In the process of chasing a target, it has to run down a set of stairs, but instead of taking them one at a time, it takes three at a time in order to gain distance on the target. A bigger decision it could be making at the exact same time, was how it was going to kill the target if there was no other weapon available but its hands. It could beat the person to death, or it could strangle them. It wouldn't be too hard to submit them, even if Hwoarang wasn't dead tired. The bot weighed well over three hundred pounds, and it can move with the weight quite well. If someone were to be tackled in the back by a three to four hundred pound person or machine, you could probably break their back. Hwoarang knew this, and that's what he was struggling to keep from happening.  
  
The actual station was separated into two parts: the first is where you could buy a pass and then go through the gates that led to the second part of the station where you board the trains. These two areas were on different levels. These were connected by many different sets of escalators. Once in the station, there were two different trains to choose from. The train heading north is what Hwoarang was looking for.  
  
He burst into the ticket area, stopping a second in order to get his bearings. A businessman was going towards the gates, and he darted over to them. He pushed them aside and jumped over the gate. The businessman brushed the abrupt attack off, only to be knocked to the ground by the bot. In fact, the bot didn't even jump over the gate, it went right through it. The gate was like that at an arena, where you hand to push at the revolving bar. The bot pushed right through it, breaking whatever mechanism that locked it in place.  
  
Hwoarang continued to push on, the escalators just ahead. The one thing that blocked his view was a door that opened in front of them. A security guard came out, probably from having seen him and the bot jump the gate. The guard had his hand out, trying to tell them to stop. Hwoarang didn't even hear what the guard was saying, his vision tunneling on the escalators. Hwoarang pushed into him, knocking him down.  
  
He didn't even bother to take the actual escalator part, he took the divider that separated the up and down sides to the escalator, hoping that the bot wouldn't be smart enough to follow. His body slid down the silvery surface, and when he hit the bottom, he flew off, feet landing on the floor which once again, took off running.  
  
This time he didn't even look back. If he did, he would see the bot actually taking the escalator, running down the stairs. Hwoarang had a good lead.  
  
Thankfully, the train was there. The buzzer sounded which was to notify passengers that the doors would be closing in seconds. Hwoarang pushed harder, squeezing himself in just as the doors were closing.  
  
He turned around and looked out the window of the door, seeing the bot that looked like Eddy sprinting towards the door he just entered through. At that point, the train began to move, and Hwoarang passed Eddy. The train entered a tunnel, the station behind him.  
  
Hwoarang collapsed on a seat next to him, breathing heavily.  
  
5:30:22 – The lobby of the amazing Roppongi Hills skyscraper was very subtle. It looked like the entrance to a hotel, complete with a fountain, elevators, and a restaurant on one side.  
  
It was about the size of a football field when one finally took in the entire lobby area. It really had everything, and to some people it could be considered one of the many different recreational areas in the building. There was a smoking room, meant mainly for those who really wanted to die from lung cancer. An arcade was tucked away from most customers' views due to the chaos that children usually caused when inside it. A bar was attached to the restaurant, which to a lot of people looked expensive, and that was the reaction the restaurant wanted. The bar looked like something that was made for a business man, and resembled a style similar to the one portrayed in the film "Lost in Translation".  
  
Lee was in the freight elevator that would bring him up in the kitchen of the restaurant. At this time of the morning, he expected someone to be in the kitchen, more than likely getting the place ready for opening.  
  
Behind him in the elevator were the two bots that looked like Marshall and Forrest Law. They were programmed to go to four different parts of the building. Inside each of them were two vials of the virus. The plan was simple: Send Forrest to the top half of the building. The bot would set one vial off on the top floor of the building, the ventilation system sending the virus downward. Meanwhile, Marshall would be in the bottom part of the building where the main ventilation system was and set a vial off there, sending the virus upward. Then, they would both go to the center of the building and set off the last two vials, keeping the virus in the center of the building, infecting the most people.  
  
The plan seemed foolproof, but Lee had a doubt in the back of his mind. Hwoarang was an unknown, but he prayed that the bot of Eddy did its job. It was supposed to send a signal to his PDA when the job was finished. He had gotten it yet, meaning that either Hwoarang was alive, or the bot was defeated. Lee's mind fumed in anger just thinking about it. He'd be damned if that little bastard was going to mess this up.  
  
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. The kitchen was a decent size, not too big and not too small. It was enough to have two master chefs and five aides for each and still have breathing room. Lee figured that the restaurant must be pretty popular. When he stepped out, he knew his guess was correct. Sure enough, there was a man pulling out a box labeled "Green peppers" in Japanese. He was holding the box and staring at Lee in curiosity.  
  
"Who are you?" the man asked.  
  
Lee pulled out a silenced pistol out of a holster underneath his jacket.  
  
"I've come bearing invitations to the next life." Lee said.  
  
He fired two shots into the man's chest, the box of peppers falling to the floor. Lee stepped over the man and fired one more shot into the man's head, just to make sure.  
  
The bots followed him as he walked out into the lobby. They were currently in the restaurant area and upon exiting it; they emerged into the area where the walls were littered with elevators. Forrest parted the group and stood by one elevator. After the elevator area, Lee and Marshall came across the front doors, where a giant indoor fountain stood. Beyond that was a customer service desk. It was meant for people to talk to management in case they had a question or a problem arose. But it was really just a glorified security desk. It did have a system that gave access to the most important parts of the building, and it had codes for every locked door you could come across.  
  
There was a man behind the counter, and he was typing away at his terminal. Lee stepped up to the counter. Not missing a beat, Marshall hopped over the desk. The man stood up, startled. Lee noticed that the man was armed, and was currently fumbling, trying to get it out of the holster. Marshall walked over to the man, who had to be no older than 21, and grabbed his head, twisting it in a grotesque manner. Lee could clearly hear the man's spine snap.  
  
Lee the looked at the Rolex watch on his arm.  
  
"Good. Right on schedule." He said.  
  
5:35:47 – 'Silence is golden'.  
  
It was an ironic thought. For years he never liked the sound of silence. Hwoarang was always the type who had to be around somebody when he was upbeat. There was hardly ever a time when he needed to be seriously alone. Most times, he needed to be alone because of a mild case of depression. Though he was never clinically diagnosed with it, he knew it was there. The only times it ever really bothered him was when a girl blew him off, he'd loose a fight, and when he excessively drank.  
  
The past few nights had been tough. He had been drinking and was busy dealing with a hangover, which is one reason why he couldn't sleep the night before. Mainly the nightmares were one reason why he drank. The scars from the torture back in Korea weren't just physical, they were mental too. There's nothing more disturbing than knowing your own screams were the reason you couldn't sleep at night.  
  
Sitting on the subway at five in the morning was not the way Hwoarang wanted to achieve piece of mind. The silence really was something to cherish, especially after all that he had been through.  
  
He sat forward, setting his elbows on his legs. He rubbed his face and groaned. His back muscles popped hard, the stress really wearing him down. It was then he realized that he had a migraine. He sat back again, looking around the train car. It was empty. He was the only one on board.  
  
The silence was interrupted by his phone. He didn't know who it was, and right now he didn't care. The peace that he was getting on the train was something he wanted to stay with, but the phone continued to ring. He growled in disgust and answered the phone.  
  
"What." He said.  
  
"I apologize about the incident at the house. The man who informed me of it told me he was going to be setting up there."  
  
It was Len.  
  
"I was chased by one of the bots. With them going around the city, Lee's going to be difficult to find. Once his plan is completed, he'll go underground and we'll never find him." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Why so negative? Besides, I have another piece of information for you." Len said.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Lee is at the Roppongi Hills apartment building as we speak. He plans on releasing the virus there within the next hour. After that he plans on attacking a high school, Jin's old school to be exact."  
  
"What's your source?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Oh, just somebody that hates Lee as much as I do. I suggest that you get moving. Don't forget, I still have Ling." Len said.  
  
He hung up. Hwoarang immediately dialed Le Carre. Hwoarang wasn't sure if he was still at the house or if he went back to the ATU. After two rings, he picked up.  
  
"Le Carre."  
  
"It's me." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Did you take care of the bot?"  
  
"If I was in better shape I would have taken it on, but..." Hwoarang said, trailing off.  
  
"I understand. Look, where are you?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"On the subway. The bot should be at the last station. One more thing, Len just called. He told me that Lee is currently at the tower over at Roppongi Hills. Supposedly he's going to set the virus off inside within the next hour. After that he's going to attack Jin's old high school. Is he still meeting me at the station?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yeah, he should be inside the city by now. I'll have a team sent over to Roppongi..." Le Carre said.  
  
"No. Me and Jin can take care of Roppongi. Get the teams over to the school, that's going to need the crowd control." Hwoarang said.  
  
There was a sudden bang that came from the top of the train. Hwoarang stared at the ceiling.  
  
"Look Hwoarang, you're going to need backup, especially knowing the shape that you're in." Le Carre said.  
  
Two more sharp bangs came from the ceiling. A sudden sense of dread came across Hwoarang's face. He knew what it was.  
  
"Gavin, I'm going to have to get back to you." He said.  
  
He hung up the phone, not moving his eyes from the ceiling.  
  
Then the window behind him shattered, Eddy's feet pushing through and kicking Hwoarang in the back. He flew forward, his bad shoulder hitting the pole in the middle of the aisle.  
  
5:45:33 – Lee sat down at the computer terminal behind the security/customer service desk. He was trying to get adjusted to the suit he just put on. The man he had killed was once wearing it.  
  
He started logging into the system, and he glanced over to the room to his left. The body of the murdered employee was huddled in a corner, the blinds to the room drawn. Lee smiled and went back to work on the computer. After a few moments, he finished. He took out his phone and dialed. They picked up after the first ring.  
  
"Yes." A man said.  
  
"Where are you?" Lee asked.  
  
"I'm about ten minutes from the school. Is something wrong?" the man asked.  
  
"No. After the drop at the school, I need you to take care of something for me."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm sending schematics to your PDA. It's for an old prison on the north side of the city. I need you to take Kazuya there with you and take of a man named Len there. His profile is in with the schematics. Anyone else that happens to be there with him, kill them." Lee said.  
  
"Where is Kazuya?" The man said.  
  
"He will be at the safehouse. I told him to rest. After you two get done with Len, go to the stadium. I'll meet you there about 7:30. We'll set up base ops there." Lee said.  
  
"Yes, sir." The man said.  
  
Lee hung up the phone and went back to work on the computer in front of him.  
  
5:48:09 – Hwoarang fell to the floor. His ass had been handed to him, again.  
  
After ramming his shoulder into the pole, he tried running up to the conductor's room at the front of the train. Hwoarang made it to the last car before finally being tackled by the bot. The blow to his back had sent him to the ground, finally sliding to a stop in front of the door to the only other human being on the train. The bot calmly got up off the floor and walked over to Hwoarang, who wasn't even trying to move.  
  
In Hwoarang's mind, time slowed down. The train had become some kind of relaxation place to his psyche. The unconscious decision made by his brain had sent him into a partial limbo state, the attack by the bot only pushing him further into the void. Currently lying on his stomach, Hwoarang's face was staring at lights that were quickly flashing by while the train was inside a tunnel.  
  
His mind was focusing on nothing at first. They wandered onto the lights, which almost acted like a sign of his brain flat lining. Hwoarang closed his eyes, his mind now racing through the memories collected within his lifetime. The first thing that hit his mind was time that he spent with his father, Baek. Remembering how the older man taught him how to ride a bike when he was younger. The thought of his father brought up the memories of his parent's divorce. The nights he would be in bed and not being able to sleep because of the screaming coming from his mother. Hwoarang always suspected that his father was a wife beater, but his mother never had any bruises to show for it. At least on the face, she didn't.  
  
His mind wandered to his teenage years. The initiation he went through when he joined the gang was the first thing that came to mind. The test was to have each potential member win against as many one-on-one fights as they could. Whoever won the most fights would become a member of the gang. There were ten candidates, and Hwoarang was the sixth man to fight. He was fourteen when this happened. There was no doubt that he would win, and he took down twelve men before they finally stopped it all-together. It was clear that he would be the winner of the test.  
  
Then his mind raced to when he was sixteen. He had just taken down the leader of the gang in a street fight. The party had been outrageous, and it was also the night he had sex with six different hookers while he was high. At the time he thought it was an accomplishment, now it was just an embarrassment that he never told anyone. He was lucky none of them got pregnant or that he didn't contract an STD.  
  
His mind then raced to the first time he met Jin Kazama. It was during his undefeated streak with the gang. He had been undefeated for the past three years and at the time, Hwoarang thought it wasn't going to end. When Jin had come in to his parlor, Hwoarang thought the Japanese punk was underestimating him. It wasn't until he lost the fight that Hwoarang realized the irony of the situation. He underestimated Jin, not the other way around.  
  
The loss followed with Hwoarang's losses at the third and fourth King of Iron Fist Tournaments. What followed after that was a spiraling descent into depression. Hwoarang had lost multiple battles today, which was something his ego didn't take kindly. He had always loved a good fight, and he was so used to winning that if he ever lost, it would show that he was inferior. After all the he lived through growing up, he was determined to prove that inferiority was not an option.  
  
Now was no different. Hwoarang realized that to be inferior at this point and time would be to not fight the oncoming death from the bot. Inferiority was not an option.  
  
The train emerged from the tunnel, daylight pouring into car. His eyes opened, a fire starting inside of him. His mind exploded with renewed energy. Inferiority was not an option.  
  
The bot was walking toward him, slowly and calmly. Hwoarang stood up and stared at the bot. Determination and anger could be seen in his eyes. This was a turning point for Hwoarang. He was mad as hell, and the bot was about to see his rage. Moments like these were the reason he was called the Blood Talon.  
  
He charged at the bot, jump kicking it in the chest. He landed it with enough force to probably kill any normal man, but the bot wasn't human at all.  
  
The bot staggered backward, the blow hardly phasing it. Hwoarang stood up, only to be met by the fist of the bot. He dodged it.  
  
A gunshot rang out. Hwoarang turned around to look at the conductor's room. In the middle of the doorway stood a man, who Hwoarang believed to be the conductor. The man was holding a short-barreled revolver. The bot was frozen stiff, probably trying to process the new data.  
  
"Don't move." The man said in Japanese.  
  
"Sir, I'm an agent with the United Nations." Hwoarang responded in Japanese.  
  
"Right. You kids saying anything to save your ass from being arrested." The man said.  
  
"Sir, this thing is no kid. It's a cyborg that was programmed to kill me." Hwoarang said.  
  
The man walked forward, putting the gun Hwoarang's temple.  
  
"I've dealt with people like you before. You can't fool me." The man said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't respond. Having a gun held to his head wasn't something new to him. It had happened more than once before, when he served with the army in Korea.  
  
The bot then backed up. Hwoarang wasn't sure why, but as long as it wasn't attacking he didn't care. While having a gun pointed to his head wasn't new to him, having a possibly unstable civilian pointing a gun at him was new, and it made him just a little nervous.  
  
"You stay right here." The man said.  
  
The man began to back off, and he turned his face away from Hwoarang for only a second, which was more than he needed. Hwoarang took the opportunity to grab the man's hands, which were still wrapped around the gun. The man struggled with him, trying to pull away from Hwoarang's grip. He couldn't move his hands.  
  
A shot fired, just missing the bot's head by inches. The bot then began to move forward, obviously threatened by the gunfire. Hwoarang wondered if the kick he delivered screwed up the computer the bot was running off of.  
  
Hwoarang elbowed the conductor in the face, breaking his nose. The man released the weapon, which fell into Hwoarang's hand. He aimed at the bot, which still slowly stalked towards him.  
  
The train had entered another tunnel, and the conductor ran to the controls. Hwoarang began to back up, and the bot sprang into action. He fired the gun, sending a magnum bullet into the bot's chest. If that's where the computer was, the bullet would do irreparable damage. The bot would be useless. The bot continued to move towards him, and Hwoarang fired again. The bot staggered a moment, but continued to move.  
  
He had three shots left. So far, shooting the chest didn't help much. Hwoarang then fired at the next best target, the head. The bullet entered the forehead of the bot and exited through the back of the head. The bullet then lodged itself somewhere in the ceiling of the train car. The bot stopped dead in its tracks. It then dropped to its knees and fell to the floor.  
  
Hwoarang breathed a sigh of relief, just as the train came to a stop at the next station. The doors to the car opened, and looking out, Hwoarang could see Jin running down the stairs into the station.  
  
Hwoarang smirked. Help wasn't needed anymore. Now, inferiority wasn't a problem.  
  
5:58:13 – Yuko Hamamoto was like most seventeen year-olds that were considered nerds by their high school classmates. Yuko didn't care that he wore glasses, was skinny, and that he loved to study. To him, that was life. You had to deal with it.  
  
He was always at school this early. Getting a good start on the day always allowed him to get going and catch the sunrise. The one thing he rarely admitted to people was that he was an artist. Yuko loved to paint, and the sunrise was something he absolutely adored. To see it from different locations was something that made him happy. He loved the sunset as well, but not as much as the sunrise.  
  
This morning, he sat on the front steps of the high school, smoking a cigarette. If any of the school officials saw this they'd have a fit. Yuko only started it about a month ago, and it was mainly due to the stress of a hard year at school. The artwork he did was his normal release of it, as well as being his passion. But the stress this year had been so great. Smoking took that edge off. He took one more long drag from the butt before tossing it away.  
  
Yuko heard some footsteps coming up from behind him. It had to be a school official, seeing as the students didn't need to be here till eight. And no student in his right mind would be here till seven. He stood up and exhaled, the smoke coming out from his nose.  
  
"Look, if you have a problem with me smoking, you have..."  
  
Yuko was cut off by a pair of arms wrapping around his neck. A sudden jerk came from the assailant, and with that, Yuko's neck was broken. His body collapsed to the ground, lying on the front steps of the school.  
  
The assailant was Jin Kazama, or at least the Combot version of him, completely decked out in the school's uniform.  
  
5:59:57... 5:59:58... 5:59:59... 6:00:00...  
  
Author's Note: I would like to thank all of you that have been reviewing. I would also like to apologize for not updating sooner. This chapter has been the toughest to write, and hopefully it will be easier from here on out. 


	20. 6:00 am 7:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 6:00 am and 7:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
6:00:00- Hwoarang and Jin ran up the stairs of the empty subway station. The sun poured down the steps, right into their eyes. The warmth of the UV rays hit them, and it actually felt good to Hwoarang. The thought didn't go any further than that, as he was on the phone.  
  
"Gavin, I need you to send a Hazmat team over here. We have one bot down." He said.  
  
"How?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"I shot it with a gun I got from the conductor."  
  
".44?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"No. .357, but I'm sure .44 would work too. I figured the CPU would have been installed in the chest, but I shot it once in the head and it went down." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Sounds too easy." Le Carre said.  
  
"Well, get down here and see it for yourself. Jin and I are headed to Roppongi. What have got for the school?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
Hwoarang followed Jin to the car, waiting for Le Carre to respond. Jin hopped in the driver's side, while Hwoarang got in alongside him.  
  
"Gavin?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yeah. Sorry about that, I just pulled up at the ATU. I have Adam tracking surveillance around the school, we'll be setting up a couple teams now that I'm here." Le Carre said.  
  
"Ok. We'll call you as soon as we get something at Roppongi." Hwoarang said.  
  
He hung up the phone. Taking a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and placed his head against the window of the door.  
  
Jin had his window down, and the wind was blasting through the car. Aside from the cool air hitting his face, Hwoarang could smell something baking. He figured that they were close to a bakery, and the thought was warming. It had been a while since he took the time to remember the simple, enjoyable things that life had to offer. Jin glanced over at Hwoarang, who looked like he had finally just passed out. He couldn't help but worry about him, even if Hwoarang always wanted to get in a fight with him. He noticed the personality change yesterday, when they were in the courthouse after it was hit.  
  
Hwoarang's personality was something you could easily describe. He was the type of person who only looked out for number one. If anybody got in the way of that, God help them. If he had a goal of any kind, there wouldn't be any way to stop him. If somebody did stop him, he wouldn't accept defeat. He would just try and possibly fail again.  
  
The downside to that was that he never accepted failure, and doing so made him feel like he was God. His ego was so inflated that it had to burst eventually. Jin figured that must have been what happened. Whatever it was, he could tell it wasn't easy. He didn't want to ask about it at first. Jin knew what he went through with the devil gene, and he knew he wouldn't want people just coming out and asking how it felt. But damn it, there was just some burning desire to ask Hwoarang what happened.  
  
"How you feeling?" Jin asked.  
  
"How do you think I feel?" Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang had stayed in the same position, but replied as if he was fully awake.  
  
"Look, I know you probably don't want people to constantly ask you about this, but..." Jin said.  
  
"Then don't ask." Hwoarang interrupted.  
  
"I'm just trying to help you. Something happened to you and it's been bugging me. You were the biggest asshole in the world a year ago, and now you're acting as if you really give a damn. What the hell happened to you?" Jin asked.  
  
There was silence for a moment. Finally, Hwoarang opened his eyes and sat up. He yawned and tried to stretch, but the somewhat cramped confines of the car kept him from properly doing so.  
  
"Julia wanted to know the exact same thing a couple hours ago." Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin didn't say anything. Hwoarang took the silence in, feeling guilty for mentioning her.  
  
"After the tournament, I went back to Korea. I found that everything that I left when I joined the army had disappeared. I couldn't find my father, not to mention my friends, and I went into hiding. Somehow, they found me. I don't know how, I covered my tracks. My guess is that they were tipped off. And what do I get besides being stabbed in the back? I get tortured. For ten months, Jin." Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin looked at the road ahead of him in shock. He didn't know why the Korean army would do such a thing, especially to one of their own. But, his question of how Hwoarang's personality changed was answered.  
  
Torture can bring changes to even the most radical individuals. Hwoarang's personality was considered extroverted, cocky, strong, and egotistical. One thing every soldier is told before they go into the field is that if they are caught and tortured, everyone will eventually break. It didn't matter how long you held on. Given time and the method used, everyone breaks.  
  
There are only a handful of people in the world who can successfully withstand most torture. These people have had excessive training on it, and some people have such a deep psyche that they can just force their brain to go off into some self-created limbo. These people who can withstand torture are usually killed after the person submitting the torture realizes that they aren't getting anywhere.  
  
Hwoarang was not one of these people. The subject was such a sore one for him. If he ever opened up to someone, he might admit that he broke. But now, no. He'd admit that he was tortured, yes. But that he actually begged them to stop? Never.  
  
Hwoarang's memories were semi-fractured. There were a few lapses in his memory that he couldn't recall. It was a defensive mechanism of the brain. When a traumatic experience takes place, and the damage to the psyche is too powerful for it to handle, it will simply erase it. Like a repressed memory, the event is still buried in the part of the brain where long-term memory is kept, but in order to remember it, you would need serious psychological help.  
  
To Hwoarang, the worst day of the torture was every day. He had the burrowing thought in his mind about why he was being treated like this. For three months, they hadn't told him. They just attacked him and tortured him until he passed out. Eventually they had told him the reason was because he was a disgrace to the country, and that he became an enemy when he attacked them back in the parking garage where he had his fight with Jin. The most troubling aspect of it was that they weren't torturing him for information; they were doing it because they wanted to make him suffer.  
  
This was one of the worst weeks he could remember: He had already taken a serious beating from the "Giants" the day before. They were two twins that were a ballpark figure of around seven feet, and they were built like Arnold Schwarzenegger back in his "Pumping Iron" days. Their job was to constantly beat him every morning for about thirty minutes. After that, they would let him lie in his cell for about two more hours.  
  
The hard part came every other day of the week at around one in the afternoon. The "Giants" would come in, drag him into another room within the small prison, tie his arms up to a chain hanging from the ceiling, strip him, then leave. That was all they were good for.  
  
The next group to enter was an officer and about three other men in fatigues. At first, Hwoarang resisted and fought everything they tortured him with. But by about the fifth month, he was wearing thin.  
  
They started him off by shocking him with an electric prod. That eventually moved to taking a scalpel and slowly cutting him in different places on his body, and when that was enough, they applied salt to the wounds. Then, they submitted him to what they described as "stretch therapy". They would tie up his arms and legs, and pull on him like a rope in a game of "Tug of War". After dislocating his shoulders and breaking his ankles, they brought him back to the electric prod.  
  
When they started beating him again, he finally started to beg them to stop. They did, and they threw him back in his cell. From there, it wasn't physical anymore. It became psychological. They began starving him, and from time to time, they would also submit him to electroshock just for the hell of it. His mind and willpower had broken, and a new personality had begun to subconsciously form.  
  
Three months later, he was taken out of the prison and he didn't know how to describe it. He wasn't rescued or anything like that, he was just simply dropped off at a hotel in downtown Seoul and taken from there. That was two months ago.  
  
His mind raced back to the present when he saw the car coming up near the Roppongi building.  
  
"We're here." Jin said.  
  
Jin had parked the car about a block away on the street, and shut the car off. Hwoarang snatched the keys from Jin and began to get out the car.  
  
"I'm sorry." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang ignored the comment and got out of the car.  
  
6:10:33 - The doors to the medical center inside the ATU burst open. A gurney rolled into the center, a Combot lying on it. Rolling it in were three men, one of them Gavin Le Carre.  
  
It was just after six in the morning and Gavin already knew it was going to be a busy day. Even after the events earlier that evening, the past few hours proved that he was going to be up for another twenty hours. He was willing to put money on it.  
  
Gavin was the type of guy that everyone wished they could be when it came to the job. He was enthusiastic about it. He loved his job, and nothing about it made him frustrated. He could be staring down the barrel of a gun and still feel happy about what would have brought him to that point.  
  
One year ago, he was named the head of the UN's Anti-Terrorist Unit. His service record with MI6 had proven that he was a man who didn't buckle under pressure and wasn't afraid to do anything, as long as it got the job done or was for the greater good. It was he who had found out about Hwoarang and decided to save him from the pressure of the Korean government.  
  
The Koreans were a tough bunch. They had an odd sense of honor. Anyone who had turned their back on them could very well be considered an enemy. And in the end, who could blame them? They weren't exactly the most prosperous country in the world, and they were really just looking out for themselves.  
  
When it came to Hwoarang, they had decided that he needed to be snapped into shape. They considered his personality and attitude reckless. He was a liability. So the torture was their way of making sure he would follow orders. If he didn't, he would surely have been killed. If matters had gone that way, nobody would have known that he was dead. They would have made sure of that.  
  
Gavin had heard of him through some friends at MI6. Word had spread around the intelligence community that there was a soldier in Korea who was trying to defect and was captured before he could. It was a little far fetched from the truth. Hwoarang was just sick of being in the army, and he ended up attacking his superiors in Japan. It was only later when for some reason he went back to Korea that the army caught him. Gavin figured that it was his own damn fault, and one night, he got curious.  
  
He was in Paris about five months ago, setting up a meeting with some VIP's from the UN. It was late, and he had been drinking. He was watching a thunderstorm live its course through a window in his hotel room. Somehow the story had come up in his thought process and he decided to act upon it. He made some calls, and eventually found out the truth. With some further investigation, he had tracked down the soldier's dossier.  
  
Then, he was named the head of the UN's ATU. He accepted the position, but he still kept looking for Hwoarang. Once he had the first ATU branch set up, he began his search. It didn't take long to find him either. Within two weeks, he had contacted the Korean government and demanded his release. With some elbow grease, they agreed, only on one condition. They wanted to keep the situation under wraps. And that's what Gavin did.  
  
He had Hwoarang relocated, and when the time came, he was going to give him a job. But then there was Wallace. Wallace needed someone in Tokyo, and Le Carre figured that Wallace would take care of the kid, not pull some stupid charade that would put him into the field. Hiring that man was a bad call. Gavin knew he would never make the same mistake again.  
  
He was going to correct that with Hwoarang, and by tracking down Lee Chaolan and putting an end to this madness. Gavin hoped that this goddamned bot would help.  
  
There was only one person in the building who could help describe these bots in good detail: Drake Matthews.  
  
He was the only person who knew anything about robotics or the technology at hand. Right now, he was handcuffed to a chair inside one of the empty offices.  
  
The bot was taken away by the two other agents, and Gavin walked into the office. There was another agent inside, acting as a guard in case Drake tried to escape.  
  
Le Carre motioned for the agent to leave, and he waited till the man left before he said anything.  
  
The two stared at each other for a moment, their eyes locked in a bitter struggle for social superiority. Le Carre eventually won, his gaze finally making Drake turn away.  
  
"It's eating you alive, isn't it?" Le Carre asked.  
  
Drake didn't respond, he continued to gaze around the room, purposely trying to not look at Gavin.  
  
"It kills you to know that your father lied to you about his endgame." Le Carre said.  
  
Gavin sat down in a chair that was next to him. His gaze never wavered away from Drake.  
  
"And you know what I think? I think that you not only want revenge, but you'll do anything to make it happen." Le Carre said.  
  
Drake continued to stare at the floor, and Gavin could tell he was trying to decide what to do. The man finally looked up at him; a mad, but defeated look was on his face.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Drake asked.  
  
"There's something I need you to look at. In exchange, I'll tell you what your father's actually planning." Le Carre said.  
  
Drake grinned. He could tell that Gavin was bullshitting.  
  
"You need my help? You think I'm going to do that just because I'm mad at my father?" Drake said.  
  
"I know you will. You want your father dead. And because your curiosity finally got the better of you." Le Carre said.  
  
"What is it you need?" Drake asked.  
  
"We have one of the Combots. We need you to tell us what it can do." Le Carre said. "And in exchange?" Drake asked.  
  
"I'll tell you what your father is planning." Le Carre said.  
  
"I want immunity as well." Drake said.  
  
"You'll get it, but you will be relocated to a location that we decide." Le Carre said.  
  
"Deal." Drake said.  
  
Le Carre stood up and took a deep breath.  
  
"You father has ten of these Combots. He's turned them into something that sounds like a bad sci-fi plot. Somehow, he's been able to put some type of skin on them, and now they look like human beings. They all happen to be fighters from the King of Iron Fist tournaments. One of them already chased Hwoarang. Lee plans on attacking a high school, as well as an apartment building. And the strange thing? He's made no demands. What do you think?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"I do know one thing. He's holding one hell of a grudge against Hwoarang. And he'll be damned if anybody's going to stop him from rubbing it in that Korean bastard's face." Drake said.  
  
6:17:44 – Jin never really looked at Hwoarang that much. The other man's ego was enough as it was. But as Jin walked with him towards the Roppongi building, he could notice that Hwoarang's build was smaller than it once was.  
  
Before, Hwoarang was like everyone else when it came to training. He was fit, lean, and muscular. Now he was almost the exact opposite. It was obvious that he lost some weight. He had tried to train once about a month ago, but his ankles had begun to ache from when they broke months earlier.  
  
His whole lifestyle had changed, and now it was slowly beginning to creep back into his life. The only difference was that Hwoarang himself had changed, and not necessarily for the better.  
  
Jin almost missed the cocky side of the Korean. The fights with him were a major highlight for him at the last two tournaments. And the one thing Jin had to admit was the fact that Hwoarang had a right to be cocky. He was in fact very good, seeing as he lost to Hwoarang at the fourth tournament.  
  
Up ahead, Jin could see the front doors of the building. The inside was still lit up; the timers for the morning were probably set to go off at a later time. Hwoarang was next to him and hadn't said a word since he got out of the car.  
  
Hwoarang had gone to the trunk of the car and opened it. Inside there had been a shotgun and a couple Sig Sauer handguns. Hwoarang handed one to Jin without saying a word, and took the shotgun and the other pistol for himself.  
  
The walk to the building was flooded with silence. Nobody spoke, but the looks from Jin were obvious. Hwoarang stared forward the whole time, focusing on what could go down inside. Jin, meanwhile, was staring at Hwoarang, studying him. There was something about him that intrigued Jin. It was the ability to go through a life-changing ordeal and still be able to quell the pain enough to get something done.  
  
Now Hwoarang was crossing the driveway that was in front of the building, shotgun in hand. He grabbed the handle to the door.  
  
6:24:00 – Lee Chaolan was exiting the security center inside the Roppongi Hills building when he saw the last person he expected to be walking through the front doors: Hwoarang Doo San.  
  
He didn't have time to think about why he was here. The only thing he could do now is get out of the building and pray that the bots did their jobs. He had set the timers to go off in twenty minutes; he just hoped that that wasn't too much time.  
  
Lee hugged a wall that was out of view from the front doors. He could hear Hwoarang barking an order, which Lee could tell by the sound level of his voice, that he was headed that way.  
  
He looked at the floor and could see Hwoarang's shadow coming up on the corner. Lee started running away, his feet hitting the ground so softly that you wouldn't even hear it. Taking the first turn that he could, Lee prayed that an emergency exit was nearby. After being in the security center, Lee disabled the alarm systems. So if he opened one of the exit doors, he wouldn't have to worry about an alarm going off, which could cause everyone in the building to evacuate.  
  
Lee continued to run down the hall, taking the twists and turns it provided him, as long as it kept him away from the lobby. He knew that an exit would be nearby; he just had to look for it. So far, there had been nothing but large windows and apartment doors.  
  
But finally, at the end of one remote hallway was an exit door. Lee ran through it, the alarm not going off.  
  
6:27:46 – Hwoarang stood inside the security center of the building. The same place that Lee was in not more than ten minutes prior. He looked at the body of the guard on the floor and then at the monitors. Jin came in behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Hwoarang." Jin said.  
  
"What." He said. "I just checked the computer. Whoever was using it forgot to log out." Jin said.  
  
"How did find that out?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"There's a piece of paper stuck to the desk out there. It's telling each user to log out before leaving the terminal." Jin said.  
  
"Any idea when it was last used?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"Well, if it was this guy? He used it within the past ten minutes. I can smell cologne." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang bent down in front of the guy. He didn't want to have to do this, but he had to be sure. He put his face about an inch away from touching the guy's neck. Taking a whiff, he could tell the man wasn't wearing anything to make him smell good. Hwoarang stood up.  
  
"This guy's not wearing any. What did it smell like?" he asked.  
  
"Expensive. Musky. Arousing. Something you'd find on a guy who's trying to pick up chicks." Jin said.  
  
"Damn. He was here. Lee must have seen us come in. We got to find those bots." Hwoarang said.  
  
The wall behind Hwoarang was filled with black and white TV monitors. The room looked like the control room for a TV station. There had to be at least thirty monitors on the wall. Hwoarang looked deep in though, but Jin's attention was already on a monitor.  
  
"I think I found one." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang turned around to look at the monitors. His eyes darted around. He obviously was not finding the one Jin was looking at. Jin finally pointed to it, and Hwoarang could see it right away. On the monitor was Forrest Law, strangling a man outside of his apartment. The man slumped to the ground, and Forrest entered the apartment.  
  
"Jesus." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang looked at the tag on the monitor, reading it aloud.  
  
"35th floor, southwest corridor." He said.  
  
Looking at the monitor again, he could read the number on the door. It said 3519.  
  
"There!" Jin exclaimed.  
  
He had pointed to another monitor, this time it showed the basement. Hwoarang took a look at it, and sure enough, Jin was right. He sure had a good eye for this sort of thing.  
  
On the screen, Marshall Law was walking down a dimly lit corridor. The monitor's tag said: "Basement – Water Pump Facility – North Side".  
  
"Start looking for a map." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Right here." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang turned around. Jin was back out at the computer, hastily typing at the keyboard. Hwoarang walked over to the screen. It showed the various programs that were already open and one of them was a mapping program. Lee hadn't closed them before he left. The map showed precisely where they would need to go in order to find Marshall.  
  
"I knew you were good for something." Hwoarang said, patting Jin on the back.  
  
"Hey!" Jin said, offended.  
  
Hwoarang began walking away from the security center. He was heading towards the elevator.  
  
"Where are you going?" Jin asked.  
  
"I'm going to take care of Forrest; you take an elevator down to the basement and get Marshall. I'm sure you of all people can handle him." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Bastard." Jin muttered under his breath.  
  
"I heard that, asshole." Hwoarang said, getting in the elevator.  
  
6:32:29 – Ling Xiaoyu was a girl that always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This situation was just another one of them. But she was also a girl with plenty of secrets.  
  
Four years ago, she was approached by the CIA to be an informant. Her father was American, her mother Japanese. She didn't have any reason to say no, so she said yes.  
  
But then things got out of control. First they asked her to keep tabs on some random guy. She never found out anything about him, only that one day he disappeared and she was given a new assignment. It seemed that every time this happened, it became harder to track the new assignment. Then one day, shortly after the third tournament, she was told to do something completely different.  
  
Her new assignment was Hwoarang Doo San. She knew he would be in Korea, and with her in Japan, it wasn't going to be easy. She moved to Korea within weeks, and soon after, found herself trying to get into Hwoarang's group.  
  
It wasn't exactly easy. She wasn't even anything like him. She didn't like hard rock music, she didn't like to get randomly drunk and get into fights just for the hell of it. Hwoarang, at the time, was really a wild child from hell. He was uncontrollable. The only way to really make him listen was to beat him in a fight, and more times than not, that was easier said than done.  
  
There was one thing about him that she would never easily admit: There was something about him that was strangely attractive. It wasn't anything physical. If it was something like that, it was probably something any woman would admit to like it was an addiction. He was well built, had boyish looks, and was quite the rebel. In other words: Hot. Maybe she was infatuated, or maybe just horny, she couldn't really tell anymore. After watching him for four months, it was kind of becoming a bit of an obsession.  
  
But, she was supposed to keep tabs on him, and that's what she was doing. The CIA never told her what they wanted with him, and that was the only thing that worried her.  
  
She eventually approached him, and he wasn't shocked, suspicious, or even curious. In fact, he welcomed her with open arms. And a lot of that was also because he was drunk off his ass at the time. That was the first mistake she made with him.  
  
She became drunk as well, and she didn't realize how out of control she was until the next morning, when she woke up. Naked. Next to Hwoarang. Who was also naked. She still remembered the blood-curling scream she let out when she realized what happened.  
  
The relationship after that had blossomed into a bit of a friendship, and most of the other guys looked at her as the person who brought Hwoarang back down to earth. She felt bad about it, seeing as he was only the job.  
  
Then Hwoarang got drafted, and from there, the CIA pulled her off the case. Well, that was the official story. Unofficially, she was to stay with the gang, and follow them anywhere. She did, and their arrival in Japan allowed her to compete in the fourth tournament.  
  
Well, last night was the big night. Her contact in the CIA informed her of her true mission, and how to take care of the objectives.  
  
The only thing she never saw coming was Hwoarang's return. She had no clue what had happened to him after the fourth tournament.  
  
It was the past days events that told her that she didn't want anything more to do with the CIA. Being kidnapped, tied up, and held hostage wasn't her idea of doing a job. She swore that the minute she got out, if she got out at all, she would turn in her resignation. Right now, she was gagged and handcuffed, sitting up against an old brick wall inside an old prison. By the looks of the place, the building was probably scheduled to be bulldozed.  
  
She didn't know why she was here, but she figured it had something to do with Drake. That is, if Hwoarang actually got the bastard. For the past four hours, she had been sitting there in the cell.  
  
She had seen some guy in a suit running about, constantly checking on her. He never said anything. So far, other than the guards, he was the only other person she had seen so far.  
  
For the past hour, it had been quiet. But then an explosion came in front of her cell, the wall blasting forward. When the dust settled, she could see that the guards were down, and a familiar face stood in the now gaping hole in front of her cell: Kazuya Mishima.  
  
6:36:44 – Hwoarang stepped off the elevator. The 35th floor was the first floor where the apartments actually started to get bigger the further you went up. Meaning, the rooms on the next floor were bigger than the ones on this floor. Hwoarang read the signs on the wall. There were twenty apartments on this floor, down from the normal thirty. Ten apartments were on one side, the other ten on the other side.  
  
The apartment in question was 3519. It was on the south side of the floor, and Hwoarang didn't know what to expect once he was inside. He was always trained to expect the unexpected, but after everything that had happened today, how could you apply that phrase? Cyborgs, gunfights, car chases, double-crosses, viruses, and a fight that should have resulted in Hwoarang's death were not unexpected, they weren't even plausible!  
  
How did Hwoarang survive his fight with Chen? That was one question he wanted the answer to. A week ago, he tried to practice some different moves in the hotel room he was placed in, but his ankle was still bugging him. Today, he delivered moves that should have hurt like hell delivering them. He couldn't explain it and now surely wasn't a time to dwell on it.  
  
He pumped the shotgun in his hand as he approached the apartment. The thoughts in his head subsided, and his mind was starting to run on adrenaline again. He aimed the shotgun at the handle, and pulled the trigger. The shot cut through the wooden door, the latch blasted to smithereens. He pumped the shotgun, the empty shell ejecting, allowing for a fresh one to enter the barrel.  
  
Hwoarang pushed the door open with the gun. The only noise that could be heard was that of other people opening their doors to see what the hell the noise was. He aimed the shotgun in front of him.  
  
The doorway led into the living room. The far wall opposite the door was a huge glass window, which led down to the street below. Upon entering the room, he could see out of the corner of his eyes that there were rooms off to the left and the right. And then he turned right.  
  
A foot came smacking into his face. The blow had fazed him and Hwoarang started staggering backwards, dropping the shotgun. The attacker then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him into a glass table five feet away.  
  
Hwoarang went into the table shoulder first, his head banging into one of the legs of the table. The bad part about it was that it was made of metal. The leg cut him deeply enough to cause a good amount of bleeding, but it wasn't anything too serious. But the attack all together had made him woozy. He began to groan.  
  
The attacker was of course, Forrest Law. The bot that had taken his identity had been waiting for someone to stop its progress. It was in the bot's programming to fight back. And now, it was slowly walking towards an unconscious Hwoarang, who was lying on his stomach in the middle of a broken table.  
  
The bot didn't know if its victim was dead or not, and it had to be sure. It walked up next to him and picked up a big shard of glass. Hwoarang still wasn't moving.  
  
It raised the shard, and that's when he made his move. Hwoarang suddenly pulled out his Sig Sauer and fired six shots into the bot's stomach. The bot faltered back, and Hwoarang re-aimed, this time for the head. He fired four more shots into the head. The slide of the gun locked back, the clip emptied. The bot fell back into a couch, smoke coming out of its mouth.  
  
Hwoarang got up off the table, careful as to not cut himself on the broken glass. Blood had begun to slowly pour down the right side of his face and off his chin. With his free hand he applied pressure to the wound, which hurt like hell.  
  
"Hwoarang!" Jin said.  
  
Jin appeared in the doorway. Hwoarang was relieved. Not about seeing Jin, but about the fact that the other bot must have been taken care of.  
  
"Jesus Christ. You need a doctor." Jin said.  
  
"I'm fine. What about Marshall?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I took care of it. I shot it in the head and it didn't move after that." Jin said.  
  
"It didn't attack you?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I don't think it even saw me." Jin said.  
  
"You're lucky."  
  
6:43:12 – Lee Chaolan was sitting in a car across the street from his next target: Jin's high school. The choice was a deliberate one. It was meant to piss him off. Kazama was just another thorn in his side and now he was going to make him mad. He had no reason, but the choice was looking promising.  
  
He would have the Jin bot infiltrate the school, since Jin was once a student. The bot would hide somewhere in the building, probably somewhere near the air conditioner or a bathroom. If anyone noticed him, the bot would take them out. The timers had been set and Lee couldn't change them. He was being forced to change his timetable. He was hitting himself for giving the bots too much time. And in a situation like this, failure was no option for him.  
  
His phone rang. Fear took him over as he looked at the caller ID and recognized the number. Afraid, he picked up the phone.  
  
"Yes." He said.  
  
"Is it done?" a man asked.  
  
"I'm working on it. I'm watching the school, but the bots at Roppongi and at the house may have been compromised." Lee said.  
  
There was silence.  
  
"Do you know why I killed Nina?" the man said.  
  
Lee didn't respond, but the cold, twisted tone of the other man's voice made Lee shiver.  
  
"I killed her to remind you. She failed to take care of Doo San, so I took care of her. If you don't do as you're told. Well, you know what will happen." He said.  
  
"Yes, sir." Lee said.  
  
"I want the virus released by 11. The stadium hit must go flawlessly. If the school is all you can hit, then you are as worthless as Nina." He said.  
  
The man hung up.  
  
Lee put the phone down, and stared at the school across the street. He was worried.  
  
6:47:20 – Hwoarang and Jin were walking out of the apartment building. Once again, Hwoarang's arms were full. He had a towel in one hand, holding it against the wound on his head. In the other hand was a cell phone, where he was talking to Adam.  
  
"No. The virus wasn't released." He said. "I'll have a containment team sent over to collect the bots." Adam said.  
  
"Yeah. Where's Le Carre?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"He's on his way to the school. I can patch him through if you want." Adam said.  
  
"No. Listen, did he tell you about Len?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. I've got people working on trying to find his location now. So far, we haven't been able to find anything." Adam said.  
  
The line beeped.  
  
"Hold on, Adam." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang looked at the display on his phone. He recognized the number. It was Len.  
  
"Adam! It's Len on the other line, how much time do you need for a trace?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"If he's inside the city, it'll take one minute." Adam said.  
  
"Ok. I'm patching him through." Hwoarang said.  
  
"My side's muted." Adam said.  
  
The line clicked.  
  
"Hwoarang, you son of a bitch!" Len screamed into the line.  
  
"What?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"You think you can just attack me like this when I have a hostage?" Len asked.  
  
"Wait. What happened?" he asked.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me you fuck! You found out where I was and you tried to get your girl back." Len said.  
  
"Did you kill her?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"No. But if you try anything like that again, I'll make sure she gets it right between the eyes." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang paused, thinking and stalling at the same time.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" he asked.  
  
"The same as before: I want Lee Chaolan dead. But this time, I'm going to make sure you do it. You have one hour to kill him. I will call you, and if he isn't dead then, Ling will be dead. Understand?" Len said.  
  
Hwoarang paused again.  
  
"Understand?!" Len screamed.  
  
"Yes." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Good." Len said.  
  
Len hung up.  
  
"He's off." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I got it." Adam said.  
  
"Where is that son of a bitch?" he asked.  
  
"It's an old prison about ten minutes north. You in Le Carre's car?" Adam asked.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
"I'm sending the directions to the GPS." Adam said.  
  
"Great. I'll let you know when we get there." Hwoarang said.  
  
6:51:57 – Le Carre was getting out of his car and walking towards the school. It was nearly seven in the morning and most of the students were already arriving. The big problem was going to be containing the students without causing a riot.  
  
The first person he needed to talk to was the principal. Whoever it was, they would be the one person the students listen to.  
  
The campus had nearly a hundred students on it, most of them talking with friends outside the main building. Le Carre and three other agents walked into the main building.  
  
He had called ahead and as soon as they entered, the principal was waiting for them. She was in her mid-thirties and very attractive. He approached her and was planning on making this as quick and painless as possible.  
  
"I'm Gavin Le Carre, head of the ATU. Ms.?" He said.  
  
"Kaneshiro." She said.  
  
"Ms. Kaneshiro. I don't want to alarm your students, but we need to move all of your students into the auditorium, and as soon as possible." He said.  
  
"What is this about?" she asked.  
  
Le Carre pulled her off to the side, away from the students that were entering the building.  
  
"There is the possibility that one of your students is planning on releasing a virus into the population." He said.  
  
She stared at him, bewildered.  
  
6:54:46 – The car pulled up behind the prison, and Hwoarang quickly got out. He had his Sig Sauer in his hand, and he was ready to use it. Jin stayed in the car.  
  
"Go." Hwoarang said.  
  
"What?" Jin asked.  
  
Hwoarang stuck his head into the window of the passenger's door.  
  
"Go. Le Carre should be at the school now. He could use your help." Hwoarang said.  
  
"But what about you?" Jin asked.  
  
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Hwoarang said.  
  
"You sure?" Jin asked.  
  
"Yes! Get out of here!" Hwoarang yelled.  
  
Jin drove off, and Hwoarang walked towards the prison. The front door was padlocked. Hwoarang shot it off, and he opened the door. The front hall was musky, the dust lingering in the sunlight.  
  
"Len!" he screamed.  
  
Hwoarang could hear footsteps running down another hallway. He followed the noise down multiple hallways, and eventually came out in the area where the cells were. Off towards the end of the hall, he could see a gaping hole in the wall. And that's when he saw Len.  
  
Len was standing in front of Ling, gun in hand. He flicked the safety off. Just as he pointed the gun to Ling's head, he felt the barrel of a gun touch his left temple.  
  
"Drop the gun." Hwoarang said.  
  
"You first." Len said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't do anything. Len looked at him and smiled. He thought he was in control.  
  
A shot rang off, and Len fell to the ground in front of Ling. Hwoarang had shot him in the head. He didn't care for him, and Ling in the end, as heartless as it sounded, was expendable.  
  
Hwoarang set his gun on the ground and hugged Ling, who was tied and gagged.  
  
"I'm here." He said.  
  
He undid her handcuffs and released the gag. But she never returned the hug. In fact, she wasn't even doing anything. But she was alive, her eyes were open. Hwoarang stared at her, dumbfounded.  
  
Ling then raised her arms and began to choke him. She pushed him up against the wall. He was beginning to lose breath; the thought of Ling killing him filled his mind. He finally got his feet up and pushed off her chest. She went flying to the floor.  
  
Hwoarang quickly scrambled for his gun, which was lying on the floor. He got a handhold on it, and Ling tackled him to the ground. Hwoarang raised the gun and a shot rang out. He had shot her in the face.  
  
Her body fell to the ground. He tried to sit up, shocked at what just happened.  
  
6:59:57... 6:59:58... 6:59:59... 7:00:00... 


	21. 7:00 am 8:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 7:00 am and 8:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
7:00:00- Hwoarang sat up against the wall of the prison. He was silent. And for good reason: He had just shot someone he thought he cared about.  
  
Ling's body lay motionless on the floor. Hwoarang had shot her in the face after she flipped out and attacked him. He had no clue as to why she did this. She had no reason to attack him like she did.  
  
He was sitting there not wondering why he shot her. He was thinking about what his next move should be. There were a lot of problems if she was dead. She was CIA, and he being killed by an agent of the UN didn't look good.  
  
The bullet didn't go through the back of her head. And there was no presence of blood on the floor of the prison. He looked at Len. His head wound had bled everywhere. It didn't make sense. The gun was fired at close range, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the bullet would have broken through the skull if it was fired that close.  
  
Was it a Combot? That would explain the attack that Len called about, but how did Lee know where Len was?  
  
His phone rang. He picked it up, not even looking at the ID.  
  
"Yeah." He said.  
  
"Hello, Hwoarang."  
  
It was Lee.  
  
"Lee?" he said.  
  
"Surprised to hear from me?" Lee said.  
  
"Where's Ling?" he asked.  
  
"She's safe." Lee said.  
  
"Why are you doing this? Why release a virus and make no demands?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Because of you." Lee said.  
  
"Why me?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"The hole in front of you. Look outside." Lee said.  
  
Hwoarang looked out of the hole. Outside, he could see a car about twenty yards away, idling in a small road behind the prison. Inside the car was Lee Chaolan, staring at him, phone up to his ear.  
  
"Can you see me?" Lee said.  
  
Hwoarang bolted off the floor and out the hole, running as fast as he possibly could for the car. It was a futile attempt. Lee sped off by the time Hwoarang even got close to the car's previous position.  
  
He stopped and put the phone back up to his ear.  
  
"You never would have gotten me anyway. I'm not stupid enough to stand right where you can just grab me. Especially after what I'm going to tell you." Lee said.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"I bet it bugs you, not knowing how the Korean army found you." Lee said.  
  
Hwoarang thought about what Lee said, and then he realized what it meant.  
  
"You told them." He said.  
  
"You're smarter than I thought. Yes. I told the Korean army where to find you. You took me out in the tournament, and you rubbed it in my face." Lee said.  
  
"You're a fucking pussy. I always rub my victories in the opponent's face; you should know that by now." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I thought it would have been fun, you know? You rubbed your ego in my face, so I thought I'd return the favor. It only took a couple mercenaries to track you down. You would think after all that training you would be able to hide yourself somewhere. I guess you weren't listening that day, huh?" Lee said.  
  
"So you tracked me down. I bet you begged the army to torture me, right?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, and after a $10 million payoff, they were more than willing." Lee said.  
  
"Figures you would go to such lengths to make me pay." He said.  
  
"So, now that my little confession is over, I want you to do something for me." Lee said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't respond.  
  
"Back off. You try to interfere with my plans at the school, which I know you know about, I will kill Ling." Lee said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't respond again. He just stared off into the distance, watching the morning rush hour begin.  
  
"Do you hear me, you little shit?" Lee said.  
  
"You listen to me, fucker. You've played your game, now it's my turn. Kill Ling if you want. It's still not going to stop me from putting a bullet in between your eyes." Hwoarang said, hanging up the phone.  
  
7:09:59 – The auditorium looked more like a giant funeral home to Gavin Le Carre. The room was usually fairly dark and the seats were slanted, so the people that sat in them would be looking at the stage, and not somebody's head.  
  
Right now, the place was lit up like a Christmas tree, and Gavin was standing on the stage. He had a grand view of the auditorium, which could house nearly fifteen hundred people.  
  
The students began flooding the place about five minutes ago, and it was starting to become crowded. From Gavin's point of view, he could tell these kids had no idea what was going on. They figured it was some kind of assembly, with the mystery man on the stage giving some lecture on drugs or teenage drinking and how it can affect them forever. God, he wished it was that simple.  
  
Quite frankly, he was scared of the virus. The thought of these kids turning into devils was something that sounded like myth and that's how it should stay.  
  
The room was quite hot at this time of the morning. The spring time air was still pretty chilled and the school must have still been running the furnace instead of the air conditioner.  
  
The suit he was wearing was starting to bug him. The heat was making the collar unbearable, but he needed to stay presentable. The principle, Ms. Kaneshiro, had been pestering him, wondering what the threat was all about. He said that it was some kind of a virus, but she was being too curious about it. He had sent her with an agent to help move the students in here, while he stood on the stage, ready to inform everyone.  
  
He looked stage left, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the principle stalking toward him. He took a deep sigh and turned to face her.  
  
"What can I do for you?" he said, an annoyed tone in his voice.  
  
"That agent you sent me with? He just told me that nobody in the building was going to die from this virus, even if it was released." She said.  
  
He couldn't believe it. Whoever the agent was, he certainly didn't have a day job anymore.  
  
"I told him that because I knew that I couldn't trust him with the truth." He said.  
  
"And what is the truth? I have a right to know." She said.  
  
"You have a right to shut the hell up. Now." He said.  
  
"These kids are going to die, aren't they?" she asked.  
  
"Shh. All it takes is one person to hear what you just said to start a riot. You and your curiosity will give these kids more trouble than they ever asked for. Now if I tell you, will you stop bothering me and make a good example for your students?" he said.  
  
"Depends on what you tell me." She said.  
  
Le Carre moved in closer. His eyes glaring at her in a threatening manner.  
  
"You mention this to anyone, I will have you prosecuted. I'll make sure you're trial is long and painful. I will make your life hell. And it will never be the same." He said.  
  
It was a decent scare tactic, but he didn't think it was enough. He needed her off his back. He would start announcing things soon, and he didn't need her starting some stupid riot or rebellion with her students. In the back of his head, Gavin figured she was some protestor when she was a kid, or she did some Greenpeace or something hippies did back in the sixties and she just never grew out of it.  
  
"Ok." She said.  
  
"It's sarin gas. Do you know what that is?" he asked.  
  
"Jesus." She said.  
  
"If we aren't careful, one of these kids could just set it off in the air duct, and if that happens, you'd be right. Happy now?" he asked.  
  
She walked off the stage, speechless.  
  
"Your welcome." He said.  
  
7:15:34 – Anger seethed in Hwoarang's mind. Just hearing Lee laugh over the phone made him want to go on a rampage. But right now, he had to get to the school. The only problem there was the fact that the school was nearly six miles away and he had no car.  
  
The only logical answer he had came to him instantly. What do you do when you have no time to get to a place where people's lives are on the line and you couldn't give a shit about the law or authority figures? Simple: Steal a car.  
  
He was currently about two blocks away from the prison, walking down a side street filled with old, rundown apartment buildings. It was quiet for this part of the city, almost as if most people stayed away, knowing the risk. Hwoarang figured that the majority of gangs hung out around here.  
  
He was very noticeable as he walked down the street, looking for any available car that he could boost. So far, he hadn't found too many. The opportunities that he had were risky, mainly due to the fact that he was being followed by a street cop. Hwoarang silently cursed to himself. Only he could get this kind of attention at the drop of a hat.  
  
He started walking faster, hoping to cover more distance before the cop could turn the corner onto the street that Hwoarang was currently on.  
  
Up ahead, he could see a decent looking car. It looked like it had aged quite a bit, but it looked like it could get him to where he needed to go.  
  
He looked over his shoulder, the cop turning the corner.  
  
"Dammit." He said.  
  
He didn't have time for this. At this point, he didn't care if the cop opened fire on him; he was going to steal this car.  
  
On the ground, there was a rock about the size of a softball. While still moving, Hwoarang picked up the rock and tossed it up in the air. Acting as playfully as any kid on the block, he caught it like it was a baseball and continued to do so as he moved towards the car.  
  
He looked over his shoulder, the cop approaching him. A smirk came over his face. It had been awhile since he did anything like this, and it was fun. Hwoarang threw the rock right through the driver's side window. He turned around to look at the cop, who was running at him now. Hwoarang turned back to the car, opened the door, and got in.  
  
If there was one thing he remembered, it was how to hotwire a car. But a model this old was going to be tricky. He pulled out the wires from under the dash and began ripping them apart.  
  
The door flew open, and the cop started to drag Hwoarang out from the car. He expected as much. As he was coming out of the car, he stood up and used the momentum to punch the officer hard in the face. The officer hit the ground, screaming about a broken nose. Hwoarang started looking through the officer's belt and eventually found a knife.  
  
Going back to the car, he stripped the correct wires and connected them, the engine turning over. He shut the door, throwing the knife out the window. He then drove off, taking out his cell phone. He dialed up Jin this time.  
  
"Hey, man. What happened? Is Ling ok?" Jin asked.  
  
Jin must have looked at the ID.  
  
"Len's dead. He didn't have her." Hwoarang said.  
  
"What are you talking about? Who has her?" Jin asked.  
  
"Lee does. But he's not going to kill her yet." Hwoarang said.  
  
"He shouldn't have a reason to. That is, unless you gave him one." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang closed his eyes, even while he was driving. It didn't matter how much he wanted Lee dead, he shouldn't have said what he did to the bastard. He couldn't lie about it either.  
  
"Did you?" Jin asked.  
  
"I might have." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Why the hell would you do that?" Jin asked.  
  
"Because of what he said." Hwoarang answered.  
  
"I know you're a person that's not easily intimidated. So what he said must have pretty bad." Jin said aloud.  
  
"You remember when I told you that I didn't know how the army found me?"  
  
"Yeah?" Jin said.  
  
"Well I know now. Lee told them." Hwoarang said.  
  
Jin didn't respond. Hwoarang figured that he was either angry, shocked, or both.  
  
"I'm not depressed about it. I'm madder than hell. I told him that if he killed her, it wouldn't matter, I'd still kill him one way or another." Hwoarang said.  
  
"That's a good reason to get rid of her." Jin said.  
  
"I know. But first things first, how the hell do I get to the school?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"You know where the St. Mary's International school is?" Jin asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You know how to get there?" Jin asked.  
  
"Yeah. Are you there yet?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I'm walking through the front door now." Jin said.  
  
"See you there." Hwoarang said, hanging up.  
  
7:25:14 – Jin hung up the phone and tucked it in his pants pocket. The line of students making their way into the school was long. It looked like the line at a movie theatre showing a popular movie on opening night.  
  
He figured that they were being moved into the auditorium. It was the only logical place to go in case of something like this. Jin pushed past all the students and tried to make his way inside. Various teachers watching the line tried to stop him, but he explained who he was with and they didn't argue. Finally entering, he started asking the various agents that were watching the exits to the auditorium.  
  
After a few well placed questions, Jin was being taken to Le Carre. Watching the students mingling as they waited for something to happen was something that seemed like a lifetime ago. He couldn't believe that it had been about four years since he had been one of them. Time really did fly by.  
  
Le Carre could see him coming up to him. Jin was busy staring at the students. He could tell that it was odd for him. He figured it was the first time being back here since he graduated.  
  
"I heard about Roppongi. Where's Hwoarang?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"It's a long story, so let me explain. He got a call from Len. He had Adam trace it, and we went to the address. Hwoarang insisted that I leave him there. I just heard from him and it turns out that Lee has Ling, and Len is dead." Jin said.  
  
"So did Hwoarang talk to Lee, or what?"  
  
"He talked to Lee. Lee told him that he was the reason Hwoarang was tortured in Korea. He threatened to kill Ling if Hwoarang didn't back off. Needless to say, Hwoarang tried to call his bluff." Jin said.  
  
"And did he kill her?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"I don't think so." Jin said.  
  
"If he didn't now, I don't think he will unless he's backed into a corner." Le Carre said.  
  
"I thought my coming here would help." Jin said, trying to change the subject.  
  
"I think it will. I'm going to have you placed in the balcony above the students. It's empty, so you'll have plenty of room to observe." Le Carre said.  
  
"What do want me to do?" Jin asked.  
  
"Start looking at the students. That's where the bot would be hiding. If you see one that looks suspicious, you can tell us through an earpiece we'll provide for you." Le Carre said.  
  
"You think this is going to work?" Jin asked.  
  
"It has to."  
  
7:30:02 – School bathrooms were surprisingly clean in Japan, and that meant one of two things: either the janitors took pride in their work, or the students actually liked to keep things clean. Most people would seriously doubt that it's the latter.  
  
Henry Jansen was an eighty-year old British man who happened to live in Japan. Originally he meant to retire here, but his wife's death had wiped him out after her family bled him dry in a civil suit back in England. She had died by falling asleep in the bathtub, which caused her to drown. But the family believed that Henry killed her in order to get the money from the life insurance policy. Legally, they didn't have enough to convict him in charges, and thus the Japanese government wouldn't extradite him. But the civil suit didn't require extradition, and somehow, the Japanese government allowed for him to be charged in the civil suit. Needless to say, he lost, and he had to pay the family because the Japanese were forcing him to. He was lucky to get a job as a janitor.  
  
He was worried about this emergency that was forcing all the students into the auditorium. The principal had just told most school personnel to check the many different rooms in the building, just to make sure that there wasn't a stray student hiding in the building. So far, he had checked four of the eight bathrooms in the building and there wasn't a soul in sight.  
  
There were four bathrooms on each floor: two men, two women. Henry had already checked the first floor, and was now beginning on the second floor. His first stop was a men's room, and upon entering there was nothing to notice right off the bat.  
  
There was four of everything as he looked across the room: towel dispensers, air dryers, mirrors, sinks, soap dispensers, and... stalls. As his eyes came across the stalls, he noticed the one thing out of place: one closed door. Henry could see the shadows of a pair of shoes from under the door. He smiled as he walked on over to the door.  
  
"Let's go, son. You heard the announcement." Henry said, tapping on the stall door.  
  
There was no movement, and Henry figured the kid must have to take one hell of a shit, but then he realized that he couldn't smell anything.  
  
Henry had no idea what he was up against. Standing directly in front of the stall door only made it worse. The door flew off in his direction, the collision knocking him to the floor. He pushed the door off of him, just in time to see the bot stand up and move towards him.  
  
7:33:27 – Kazuya Mishima was someone that most people would want on their side. He was a man of great integrity. He would fight to the death for something he believed in. And if he needed to get something done, he would kill his own family to make sure it got done. That was the one flaw that nobody liked. He played the game for his own benefit, not for others.  
  
And that was why he was still with Lee. He needed him to plan and operate, and he would strike when the whole operation was behind them. It was the same scam he was playing under Heihachi, until Lee proposed a better deal. That just made it so much sweeter. Kazuya hated Lee for everything the man did. He wanted the man dead just for the fact that he could breathe.  
  
The one thing that Kazuya surely had was control. He was psychotic, but he had control over it. If he didn't, he couldn't exist or at least not the way he did now. He had always wanted to kill Heihachi, and even if he didn't do it himself, it was still a great feeling to know that he was dead. But his father wasn't the only one on his death list. There was Jin, Lee, and that bastard Hwoarang. Kazuya took a deep breath, remembering how good it felt to nearly beat the Korean to death.  
  
He was currently standing in the doorway to a house that was on the outskirts of Tokyo. It acted as a safehouse, and Lee was just now pulling up in the street. Kazuya looked at his watch, noting that Lee obviously didn't care for his own timetable.  
  
He went back inside, passing the living room. Glancing into the room, he crossed glares with Ling, who was bound and gagged on the couch.  
  
"Mishima." Lee said, opening the door.  
  
Kazuya turned to face him, remembering how much he hated being called by his last name.  
  
"I have something for you." Lee said.  
  
Kazuya wanted Lee to hit him, just so he could enter that blind rage that the devil inside him loved. The thought of ripping Lee's flesh from his bones sounded so good right now. But seeing as that would ruin everything, he decided to hold off on that.  
  
"The stadium?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"My man is inside as we speak. But there is also something else." Lee said.  
  
"One thing I despise is being kept in the dark. Who is this 'man'?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"Someone you've met before. Now – about this other..." Lee said, changing the subject.  
  
Kazuya wasn't about to let him get away with it. He grabbed Lee by the collar and slammed him against the wall.  
  
"Who is he?" Kazuya asked.  
  
Lee pushed him off, taking the time to straighten his clothes.  
  
"In due time, my friend, in due time." Lee said.  
  
"You were saying?" Kazuya said.  
  
"I have an assignment for you. You're going to like this one." Lee said.  
  
Kazuya began walking off, down another hallway.  
  
"The ATU." Lee said.  
  
Kazuya stopped and stared at Lee. A smile appeared on his face. It was like pleasing an addiction. But this wasn't like cocaine or marijuana, it was a need to kill, and the amount of people in the ATU would definitely scratch that itch.  
  
"Hwoarang?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"Oh, yes. He's become a liability we just can't afford." Lee said.  
  
"And how do you suggest we take care of it?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"How about something that will knock them off their feet?" Lee said, grinning.  
  
7:40:20 – This was the last thing he needed at a time like this.  
  
"You got to be kidding me." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Hey, I'm supposed to be on the lookout for suspicious people, and you come up here looking for the SAC without proper ID? That and the fact that you come up in a beat-up vehicle with a broken window, and you're telling me that doesn't look suspicious?" an agent asked.  
  
Hwoarang goes forty over the limit getting here and doesn't get one cop on his tail, but he gets stopped by some agent looking to score a promotion. He guessed it was his lucky day.  
  
"You talk to Le Carre, and ask him if he knows me. My guess, he'll fire your ass for not extending me every courtesy." Hwoarang said.  
  
"I'll extend you a courtesy." The agent said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.  
  
"I've had enough of this." Hwoarang said.  
  
Hwoarang pulled out his cell phone, and that was enough to set the agent off. The agent pulled out his gun, which caused Hwoarang to stop dialing.  
  
"You're going to shoot me for pulling out my phone? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen." Hwoarang said, dialing again.  
  
"Put the phone down." The agent said.  
  
Hwoarang put the phone up to his ear and mouthed the words 'fuck you' to the agent.  
  
"Hwoarang?" Le Carre asked over the line.  
  
"Yeah, Gavin. Could you come down to the front..."  
  
Hwoarang got cut off by the agent, who tackled him to the ground. Hwoarang obviously fought back, kicking the agent away from him. The agent aimed his gun back on Hwoarang.  
  
"Don't fucking move." The agent said.  
  
"Hey!" Le Carre called out.  
  
Hwoarang continued to lay on the ground, the agent reacting to the protest coming up behind him.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Le Carre said.  
  
"This dickhead here doesn't know how to do his fucking job!" Hwoarang shouted.  
  
"Shut up, Hwoarang." Le Carre said, his head turning to the agent.  
  
"He came in like a bat out of hell, asked to see you, and he didn't have any ID." The agent said.  
  
"Why didn't you contact me?" Le Carre said.  
  
"I didn't think it was important." The agent said.  
  
"Well, I'll decide what's important. If somebody asks for me, you call me. Ok?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Yes, sir." The agent said.  
  
Hwoarang got up off the pavement and followed Le Carre inside the school, taking the time to brush against the agent after he put his gun away.  
  
"You have to learn to control that temper of yours, you know that?" Le Carre said.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. You going to tell me to watch my language next?"  
  
"Wouldn't hurt." Le Carre said.  
  
"Did you hear about Ling?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yeah, and I don't blame you for how you acted. If I were in the same situation, I don't know how I would act." Le Carre said.  
  
"Yeah." Hwoarang muttered, still sensitive on the subject.  
  
"So he was the one behind you being in Korea and all this? There's something that's not adding up." Le Carre said.  
  
"What doesn't add up?"  
  
"I don't know. It's just a gut feeling. I don't think its business, and I don't think it's personal either." Le Carre said.  
  
Hwoarang leaned up against a set of lockers in the empty hallway. The two of them had walked away from the main set of doors to another part of the school, and Hwoarang listened as Le Carre pondered aloud.  
  
"What are you getting at?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"You beat him at the fourth tournament, he turns around and has you tortured by your own army. That's payback. But then he plans this, and you happen to somehow get involved the day it goes down. Coincidence. But Ling and Jin getting involved as well? Planned." Le Carre said.  
  
"Not possible if you were the one that got me out of that prison." Hwoarang said.  
  
"No. I didn't. It just came to me. When I talked to your country, I threatened to take your case to the head of the UN. One day later, you were released. But it wasn't my threat. It was Lee, the whole goddamn time. He leaked your story out to the intelligence community, and I came to your rescue. My guess, he wanted you to get involved with this today." Le Carre said.  
  
"So you're saying that Lee..."  
  
"...was planning all this from the beginning." Le Carre said.  
  
"Have you gotten anything on this thing in here?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"No. I have Jin looking at the students from on high and so far he hasn't found anything." Le Carre said.  
  
"It won't be hiding among the crowd." Hwoarang said.  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"The last ones have been found hiding. I would imagine that would be the same case here." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Closets and bathrooms?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"I'm on it."  
  
"Hey. You armed?" Le Carre asked.  
  
Hwoarang took out a gun that was tucked under his shirt and waved it in the air.  
  
"Where did you get that?"  
  
"Check golden boy at the front door." Hwoarang said, walking off.  
  
Le Carre looked over at the agent at the door. The idiot didn't even realize that his gun was missing. He shook his head in amazement.  
  
7:50:55 – Lee was excited. He usually was when something big was about to happen. Everything was accounted for, and everything was taken care of. By the time he would be at the stadium, Hwoarang would be no more.  
  
The way everything would fall into place would make his superior proud. Right now, he had one person in play inside the stadium, and it was somebody that everyone knew of.  
  
This man's identity was something that Lee wanted to keep secret until the last possible minute. The man had been in the correct circles before to do this sort of dirty work, and for the right amount of money, this man would gladly do it again.  
  
Lee pulled out his phone and dialed the man, who picked up shortly after the first ring.  
  
"Yes?" the man asked.  
  
"Are you inside?" Lee asked.  
  
"Yes. In fact, I just put two in the head security officer." The man said.  
  
"Good. I'll be there in thirty minutes. Meet me at the south loading dock." Lee said.  
  
Inside the stadium, the man stood over the dead guard inside the man's office, blinds drawn.  
  
"I'll be there." He said, hanging up.  
  
The man set the phone on the desk next to him and removed his shirt. He took the shirt off the dead man on the floor, and put it on.  
  
Putting the shirt on would only fool so many people. If anyone that knew him saw him up close, they wouldn't see him as a security guard. They would see him for who he was, Steve Fox.  
  
7:55:23 – Hwoarang was climbing the stairs to the second floor. Unbeknownst to him, he was running the exact same path as Henry the janitor.  
  
The bot wasn't on the first floor, and that made him wonder what the hell Lee was planning on doing to this place. If he was planning on releasing a virus here, he would have the bot hiding down in the basement by the air ducts.  
  
He entered the first men's restroom that he came across. The room smelled clean, which Hwoarang found odd. But by the time he passed the first sink, he could tell that the bot had been there. The door to the last stall was missing, and there was some blood on the floor. He checked the stalls, and found the body slumped in one. The janitor had been stabbed in the neck. The arterial spray from the wound was what Hwoarang found on the floor, and there was more in the stall.  
  
He moved out into the hall, noticing a bloody footprint on the floor. He pulled out his gun, ready to kick ass. Turning the corner, he saw the bot slowly walking down a hall. Hwoarang went back, hiding behind the wall. He glanced out, trying to see what the bot was doing.  
  
This time he was being careful. The last bot he fought threw him into a table and nearly killed him. He was going to take his time and act only if he had the manpower or if the bot was about to release the virus. He pulled out his cell phone.  
  
He cursed under his breath when he looked at the display. The cell had bad signal strength. He dialed up Le Carre anyway. The call didn't even go through. He put the phone away, trying to think of a way to get people up here. Then it hit him, but it was risky.  
  
Hwoarang turned the corner, showing himself in plain view. He pulled out the gun and fired a shot into the ceiling. The bot reacted, jerking its head to face Hwoarang.  
  
He pointed the gun at the bot.  
  
"Don't move." He said.  
  
The bot did what its programming told it to do. It ran. Hwoarang started to run, but his phone suddenly rang. He answered it while chasing after the bot.  
  
"Hwoarang? Did you fire that shot?" Le Carre said, the signal clearing up.  
  
He looked ahead and noticed that the bot entered the stairwell.  
  
"The bot is on the second floor stairwell, northwest sector of the building, possibly heading for the roof. I repeat..." he said.  
  
7:59:57... 7:59:58... 7:59:59... 8:00:00... 


	22. 8:00 am 9:00 am

Tekken 24  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".  
  
The following takes place between 8:00 am and 9:00 am.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
8:00:00- The treads of his shoes slapped the tile floor as Hwoarang ran to the stairwell the bot had just entered.  
  
The school was made up of three floors: A basement, the main floor, and a second floor. Hwoarang was currently on the second floor, and he peered over the railing, expecting to see the bot running down the stairs.  
  
The bot surprised him, spinning him around. It threw a punch, and Hwoarang countered, wrapping his arm around the bot's arm. But the bot then countered again, hauling off and punching Hwoarang in the chest with it's free arm. Hwoarang fell over, painfully rolling down a flight of concrete stairs. His head hit the floor hard at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
He groaned, his head pounding, his heart racing, and his body aching. He looked up in time to see the bot head for the roof. It was hard to breathe as he grabbed a hold of a railing to help him up.  
  
"Hwoarang, what's your location?" Le Carre said over the radio.  
  
"Almost on the second floor, heading to the roof. The bot's heading that way." He said.  
  
"We're heading that way now. We should have people up there within the next minute." Le Carre said.  
  
"Great. Just what I needed: backup." Hwoarang said sarcastically to himself.  
  
He was wavering about. It felt odd to be filled with adrenaline one minute, and then feel as if you could drop dead the next.  
  
He collected his strength and dashed up the stairs as fast as he could. The door to the roof was coming up and he wondered if Le Carre's men would be there already. He pulled his gun out again and opened the door.  
  
This is what Hwoarang meant by odd. Not more than thirty seconds ago, he felt like shit, now his adrenaline was pumping again. Yeah it was normal, but that quickly? He dismissed the thought, chalking it up to his lack of sleep.  
  
Sixty feet away the bot was putting its arm into what looked like a vent that air from the school could exit or enter through. Hwoarang didn't know which, and he wasn't about to guess. He pulled out his gun and aimed when something suddenly tackled the bot. He quickly darted over to the vent. The bot was fighting somebody, rolling around on the hot white surface of the roof.  
  
"Jesus." Hwoarang said.  
  
He was staring at identical twins. It was Jin. Hwoarang didn't understand how he got up here so quickly.  
  
Behind him, a door burst open on the other side of the roof. At least ten armed agents, dressed in tactical gear came rushing to his side.  
  
Hwoarang couldn't fire, because the two were exchanging blows while they rolled around near the edge of the roof. An agent came up with an assault rifle and aimed. Hwoarang protested, putting his arm in front of the agent's sight.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" the agent asked.  
  
"Which one were you aiming for?" he asked.  
  
The agent lowered his gun, knowing fully well what he meant.  
  
Jin had straddled the bot and was attempting to jump off so Hwoarang could take care of it, but the bot obviously had other plans. The bot had grabbed Jin by the collar and threw him over the edge.  
  
"Jin!" Hwoarang yelled as the bot stood up.  
  
"Open fire!" Hwoarang screamed.  
  
All the agents, including Hwoarang unleashed a fury of hell on the bot, who took most of the shots before falling over the edge as well. When it went, Hwoarang frantically ran to the edge of the roof to see where Jin was.  
  
He was lying on the ground, face down, with a puddle of blood around his head.  
  
8:07:09 – Lee had a plan. The stadium was going to happen, and it was going to down flawlessly. But he also had other things in mind.  
  
See, Lee was a man who held many secrets. That was definitely true today. There was something that he was hiding from everyone. His enemies didn't know and neither did his friends. With this secret, he could destroy plenty. In fact, it was more devastating than the bots. It was this secret that scared him more than anything.  
  
Lee knew that Kazuya was watching him, and as time would move on, he figured that he would just become more and more suspicious. That was one reason why he was doing what he was doing right now.  
  
The bot in front of him was a replica of Baek Doo San. Lee stood in the back of a cargo van with the bot, the back doors open. At this point and time, he was updating the bot's protocol system. Originally, he planned on using this bot at the stadium, but now, something had come up. This bot was ready for something completely different. That was why he was updating the system. Specifically: the objectives database.  
  
Kazuya walked up to the open doors, watching Lee work on the bot.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"Programming the bot, so when your job is finished, it will take over." Lee said.  
  
"I don't like machines doing my job for me." Kazuya said.  
  
"Your 'job' is to take this thing to the location I told you, and to turn it on. It'll know what to do next." Lee said.  
  
Lee finished the work on the bot. He then jumped out of the back of the van and shut the doors.  
  
"And what will it do? Attack the ATU?" Kazuya asked.  
  
"Yes, the primordial cure for the itch." Lee said.  
  
8:10:56 – The UN's ATU had set up a triage center behind the school. It was away from the main view of the street, and anyone who was looking for it would consider it something else other than what it really was.  
  
Hwoarang, Le Carre, Dr. Terry Branch, and a number of other medical staff were running towards the center, each holding onto the stretcher that carried Jin Kazama.  
  
Jin's face was completely covered in blood. It turned out that he had hit the concrete sidewalk headfirst. Hwoarang knew he still had the devil gene, and he knew that he would be fine. But given the situation, they wanted to take care of him. Hwoarang didn't argue with them, in fact, he didn't even say anything.  
  
It didn't take them more than a minute to get him inside the center. Branch had told Hwoarang and Le Carre to stay outside while they take care of him. Hwoarang stood there, catching his breath. Le Carre noticed a look of helplessness on his face. It was obvious that he wanted to help Jin, but right now, there was not much he could do.  
  
Hwoarang turned around, noticed a refrigerator along the other side of the massive tent. He walked over to it. Le Carre watched him scramble through it, probably looking for something to drink.  
  
He found a bottle of water, and immediately opened it and started chugging it down. When he finished it, he threw it in the trash can next to the fridge. He then went back outside.  
  
Le Carre was worried about him. It wasn't anything along the lines of what Wallace was worried about the night before, but more along the lines of if he could keep taking this much punishment. Hwoarang was only twenty-two, but not even youth and being in shape would allow for somebody to take this much in such a short time.  
  
He followed Hwoarang outside, who was sitting on a bench. Behind the school was a park, which was made exclusive to the school. The public could still roam around in the park, but a section of it was off limits, which was made available only to students of the school.  
  
Hwoarang was rubbing his face and brushing his hands through his pure red hair. Le Carre sat down next to him.  
  
"You should probably go. Get some sleep." Le Carre said.  
  
"No, I can't. Not now." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Look at yourself. Last night was tough enough: getting shot, getting your ass handed to you, escaping a sinking car, surviving numerous gunfights, and dying. That's only to name a few." Le Carre said.  
  
Hwoarang looked forward, away from Le Carre. He was obviously ignoring him.  
  
"I've been up for nearly a day. I'm used to this sort of thing happening. I used to work for British Intelligence. You on the other hand, have been up for nearly two days, and I know damn well that you aren't used to it. You're not carrying yourself right, and I bet you're probably going to start seeing things, if you haven't already." He said.  
  
Hwoarang was staring at something in the distance. He squinted his eyes, almost as if he was trying to focus on it.  
  
"What is it?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Is that a penguin?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
Hwoarang immediately started laughing. Le Carre wasn't amused.  
  
"Look, my point is: If continue you push yourself, you'll only slow us down." Le Carre said.  
  
"I'm driven. He's the reason I'm here. The reason I lost a year of my life. He's the goddamn reason I can't sleep at night. I don't care if I am tired, I'll keep moving until this is done." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Don't make this personal. It clouds your judgment, and it could get you killed." Le Carre said.  
  
"I've already died once today. That made it personal." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Hey..." Branch said.  
  
Terry Branch came up behind them, the two men turning to look at him. Le Carre was thankful for the interruption. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with Hwoarang. Mainly because he wasn't the type of person to argue, but also because he knew how Hwoarang acted when he was hotheaded.  
  
"How's Jin?" Le Carre asked.  
  
Branch sighed. He never liked doing this.  
  
"He's dead." He said.  
  
That got Hwoarang's attention. He turned around and got up, looking at Branch as if he was just insulted.  
  
"How? That's just not possible." Hwoarang said.  
  
"It is. He's got no pulse, no heart beat." Branch said.  
  
"He's got the devil gene. That should have kept him alive." Le Carre said.  
  
"He doesn't have the gene. I don't know when he got rid of it, but it's not in his bloodstream." Branch said.  
  
"Are you sure?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"When he came in, he was bleeding all over the place. When he flat lined, I found it odd. So, I took a sample of blood and put it under the scope. Blood that's infected with the gene has these neon green colored particles in with the blood cells. Those weren't present in his blood. I checked another sample to make sure. He doesn't have the devil gene." Branch said.  
  
Hwoarang plopped back down on the bench. He was sick of the bad news. It was becoming too much. He wished he had somebody to talk to, somebody to grab onto, and somebody to share his pain.  
  
"What about injecting him with the virus?" Hwoarang suggested.  
  
"I doubt that would do anything. He's been dead five minutes." Branch said.  
  
"I agree. Hwoarang, you were injected with it before you died, not after. He's dead." Le Carre said.  
  
"Can we just try it, please?" Hwoarang said, frustrated.  
  
Le Carre nodded at Branch, who ran off to the tent. Hwoarang followed and Le Carre took up the rear.  
  
Upon entering the tent, Hwoarang saw Jin lying on the stretcher. His face was covered in blood, which was drying to his skin. The jacket and shirt he was once wearing was gone.  
  
Le Carre came up behind him, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to make this as ugly as it already was.  
  
Branch came up with a syringe that had the yellowish colored virus in it. He looked for a good vein, and then injected the syringe.  
  
"I'm putting it straight into his bloodstream. I'm kind of new to bringing somebody back from the dead, so if this works and he goes zombie on us, I'll need you." Branch said.  
  
He injected the virus and removed the needle. Then he backed off, acting as if he could get a better look at it if he wasn't so close.  
  
Hwoarang at this point had been emotionless. He was upset, tired, and a little depressed. Saying anything to him right now wouldn't help.  
  
The body violently jerked on the table. It stopped as quickly as it started. Everyone watched the body with wonder, amazement, and curiosity.  
  
Before the virus was seen as a curse; something that one had to live with forever. But in this case, it was a miracle. It was something nobody had ever seen: a person who had died twice coming back to life. Just seeing something like this was a first for Terry Branch, and he wasn't sure what to think of it.  
  
Jin sat straight up, and his body began shaking. It stopped after a moment, his eyes staring forward. A look of horror played across his face. It was almost as if he'd seen something he wished he hadn't.  
  
"Jin?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
He didn't respond. Jin was breathing as if he'd run a marathon. It was obvious something was wrong. Then he started moaning in pain. Branch came over a put a hand on his shoulder to support him. After a moment, Jin looked ok. His breathing had calmed.  
  
But everyone knows that just when the pain suddenly stops, it comes back ten fold. And that's exactly what happened. A sudden loud ringing came into Jin's mind. He immediately began screaming and grabbed his head.  
  
8:24:37 – The cargo truck drove through the north gate of the Tokyo Dome. There were four gates, each for the four main directions: North, South, West, East. The truck slowly drove towards the back of the dome.  
  
There was only one loading dock, but it was big enough to take in shipments from nearly twenty different trucks.  
  
Lee was in the back of this particular truck. The idea was to stay in the back and appear to show up at the loading dock. Steve would open the bay door, and they were in.  
  
But things never end the way they were originally planned. Or at least that what Lee thought. Inside the back of the truck were ten men, the four remaining bots, Ling, and of course, himself.  
  
The truck came to a stop, and Lee was standing at the door, just waiting for it to be opened.  
  
Ling didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that she was coming along for the ride. But she didn't expect Steve to be opening the door to the truck. When she saw his face, she was stunned. Now this was a nightmare.  
  
Steve had opened the door to the truck and walked back inside. Lee followed him inside. Ling was still in the truck, and she watched Steve and Lee talk for a brief moment. Steve walked off, and Lee came walking her way.  
  
"You all have your individual assignments. I expect them done within the hour. When finished, report in." Lee said to his men.  
  
The ten men walked off to do their thing and Lee stood over Ling, who was still sitting on the floor of the truck.  
  
"You're not as bad as I thought you were." Ling said.  
  
"Well, I would hope so." He said.  
  
"You're worse. How could you bring Steve into this? He has no clue what he's into." Ling said.  
  
"And what? You think you do? Ok. Go ahead, tell me why we're here." He said.  
  
She didn't respond.  
  
"Thought so." He said.  
  
"Why are you doing this? You never were like this. I thought you used to be one of us." Ling said.  
  
"I used to fight for the Zaibatsu. There just happens to be bigger fish to fry now. Now if you don't mind getting up, we have to go inside." He said.  
  
He pulled Ling up by the arm and forced her inside the loading dock.  
  
8:31:11 – Jin Kazama was a person who had a major inferiority complex. He hated who he was, and the devil inside of him reminded him of that. The only sign of good will in his heart was his mother. She was the outsider when it came to the Mishima bloodline, and she was the only one who to him to hang on.  
  
The noise inside his head was starting to go away, but he was having a problem with light. He was in the backseat of an SUV. Up front, he could make out Hwoarang in the passenger's seat, Le Carre in the driver's seat. God, his head was killing him.  
  
He didn't know why he was still alive. He remembered all of it: The fight, the fall, and even the impact. Anything after that was a blur though. He didn't remember any white light or fire or anything. All he knew was that he had died, and now once again, he was breathing again.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"I just came back from the dead, how the hell do think I feel?" Jin said, lying face down across the backseat.  
  
"Just asking." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Speaking of asking, I don't recall asking you to bring me back." Jin said.  
  
"I don't recall you having a death wish." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Look. I never wanted to have that goddamn gene, and I didn't even know that it had left me. Then I died, and right now, I couldn't think of anything better." Jin said.  
  
"You look. I actually happened to love my life before a year ago. I died about six hours ago, and that goddamned gene saved my life. I'm thankful for that. So maybe instead of looking at life as a curse, you should change your perception." Hwoarang said.  
  
"Thanks, Dr. Phil. I'll keep that in mind." Jin said.  
  
Hwoarang smirked at the comment.  
  
8:35:28 – It's always interesting to see Kazuya when he's all business. His determination and focus is always top notch. His battles were always something to see. If he was the underdog, he would come back and surprise most people. Like a lot of the other fighters in the King of Iron Fist tournaments, he hated to lose.  
  
The van he was driving was currently parked on the street, about two blocks away from the ATU. He hoped in the back, the sun glared through his sunglasses as he moved into the back.  
  
The bot stood in the back. It had been activated, but Kazuya just needed to release it. The switch for the bot was actually a series of passwords that had to be spoken. The bot would first recognize the voice, and if the voice signature was allowed, it accepts the passwords.  
  
"Kazuya Mishima. Blue. Investigation. Account. College." He said.  
  
Kazuya didn't know anything about this type of stuff. In fact, he was so clueless that Lee had to write down the directions on paper. He figured that the bot was would then move and take over. It did, and it pushed him out of the way. Not knowing if the bot would break the doors down or not, he quickly moved to the back doors. He opened them and jumped out, and the bot followed him.  
  
The bot then crossed the street and made its way towards the ATU. Kazuya got back inside the van and closed the doors. He got back up front, and sat there. If everything went according to plan, the chaos would soon erupt.  
  
8:39:54 – Hwoarang yawned as they walked through the front foyer of the ATU. He was tired. Le Carre may have been right earlier.  
  
Le Carre had gone on ahead so he could check up with Adam on any leads they had. Hwoarang was staying back with Jin, helping him inside. They hadn't spoken to each other since Jin's smartass comment.  
  
While they may be rivals, there was a certain bond that the two of them now had. They both knew what it was like to be brought back to life, and they both now had the gene inside them.  
  
In the silence of the SUV, Jin figured out how he must have lost the gene. When Nina had been chasing him through the burning house earlier in the morning, a shot grazed his shoulder. It must have been something that would have done something pretty bad. He guessed that the dart must have released a little bit of whatever liquid she was trying to fill him with. If just that little bit got rid of the gene, he wondered what the whole thing would have done.  
  
Finally making it indoors, Hwoarang continued to walk slowly in front of Jin. The ATU was starting to feel a little like a home away from home. Every time he went out into the field, he eventually kept coming back here. He saw Le Carre talking to Adam over by the staircase that led to the second level.  
  
The ATU had two levels. The first was where everything happened. It was clearly the busiest section in the building. Plus, it was right off the front doors. Just beyond that was a two sided staircase that led up to the second level. Up there was the conference room and what used to be Wallace's office. That was where Le Carre would be running things out of.  
  
He moved over to Le Carre who turned to face him.  
  
"Hwoarang, I'm going to have Adam take Jin down to the medical center to get checked out for a while." Le Carre said.  
  
Adam went around him and quietly talked to Jin as they both walked off.  
  
"What about me?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I was going to let you see your father if you want. Then I was going to let you get some sleep." Le Carre said.  
  
"What, here?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"We have a room where there's a bed. It's nothing that Martha Stewart would like but it's good enough." Le Carre said.  
  
"Thanks. I think I'll try to sleep first. But, is he in custody or what?" he asked.  
  
"No. He's mainly be protected until this whole thing with Lee is over with. And I would like you to do the same if you don't mind." Le Carre said.  
  
"You sure you don't need help?" Hwoarang said.  
  
Le Carre chuckled.  
  
"We're fine. It's a little haphazard and Lee might be one step ahead of us, but we'll get him. You've worked your ass off. If it wasn't for you we probably would be as far as we are." Le Carre said.  
  
The two walked down a hallway, away from all the chaos in the front. They passed by a mechanic, which Hwoarang found odd. He ignored it though, seeing as Le Carre didn't say anything.  
  
The hallway was littered with different rooms, most of which he didn't know what they were for. Le Carre stopped at one specific door, swiped a card key through the reader above the door handle, and opened the door.  
  
"Go on in. Have a good sleep." Le Carre said.  
  
"I'll try." He said.  
  
"If you need anything, there's a phone inside. Just dial the number 487. That'll put you through to me." Le Carre said.  
  
"Yeah." He said, shutting the door on his way in.  
  
Hwoarang took a deep breath and turned on the lights. The room had a queen- sized bed in it. The sheets and comforter were all white. They went the cheapest route possible. The bed was the only thing in the room besides the small bathroom off to the side. The bathroom only had a toilet and a sink inside. He sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
What the hell was he doing? There was nothing wrong with what he was currently doing, but somehow it just felt strange. He was being pulled from the investigation, and for some reason, he almost didn't care. He would get his chance at Lee eventually, when he was in custody. But what if he escapes custody and the virus is released?  
  
Hwoarang continued to sit on the edge of the bed, deep in thought.  
  
8:46:18 – Baek Doo San was trying to stay busy inside the small holding room. He'd been here since last night. The bomb on his neck was successfully removed well over four hours ago.  
  
The agents had brought him magazines, books, even a TV. But that wasn't helping. He wasn't worried about himself, he knew Hwoarang was out there somewhere, he just didn't know where.  
  
The TV was on, the news playing softly in the background. Baek was drinking a bottle of water, waiting for an agent to bring him his breakfast. It was sad to know that the best they could do was McDonald's. Right now he was busy waiting for it to arrive.  
  
The news was talking about the various events going on today in Tokyo. There were a few early morning accidents on the freeways. The news made mention of something happening at a school where somebody committed suicide. Then they mentioned the triple-header happening at the Tokyo Dome. The weatherman came on and spoke of a good chance of rain sometime today. He made a cheesy joke about the game getting rained out.  
  
Baek's attention was drawn from the TV when he heard somebody swiping a card at the door. He stood up, thinking that the food was finally here. Instead, the bot came in.  
  
He didn't know what to think. In fact, Baek blanked out when he stared at the bot, which was made to look like him. The bot shut the door.  
  
"What the hell?" Baek said.  
  
The bot then pulled out a silenced Walther PPK and shot Baek twice in the chest. He fell back into the chair and onto the floor. The momentum was enough to knock the TV off of its stand. It crashed loudly to the floor. The bot went over to Baek and shot him in the head to make sure. It then dropped the gun and quickly left the room.  
  
8:50:44 – Hwoarang heard the noise from down the hall. He was still sitting on the edge of the bed thinking when it happened.  
  
He opened the door and entered the hall, hoping to investigate. Another agent came down the hall on the opposite end.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Hwoarang asked.  
  
"Yeah, I was just coming to check it out. Who are you?" the agent asked.  
  
"I'm Hwoarang. I'm working in the field with Le Carre." He said.  
  
The agent nodded and moved to a door about four down from where Hwoarang was staying.  
  
"Who's in here?" he asked.  
  
"Baek Doo San. He was involved with your case." The agent said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't think it was important to tell him that he was Baek's son. The agent swiped his card and opened the door.  
  
Inside, Baek was lying on the floor. He was dead. The amount of blood proved it. The agent ran inside to check on Baek. Hwoarang ran off, he knew something was going on. He figured it had something to do with Lee. Running off towards the main floor, he knew he had to find Le Carre.  
  
8:53:31 – The Tokyo Dome was an indoor stadium, which was a good thing. If the virus was released, it would stay inside, infecting the most people.  
  
There were two Owner's boxes at opposite sides of the stadium. These were mainly used for special VIP's that would come in wanted to see the game privately. Lee was using one of these boxes as his base. It overlooked the entire stadium and it kept him hidden from everyone else.  
  
Lee had access to a computer that was tapped into the stadium's security system. Ling was in the room with him, and some of his men were moving about, trying to finish their tasks.  
  
He moved over to the laptop, which was sitting on a generic folding table that one would probably find anywhere.  
  
The radio to his side clicked, and Steve came on.  
  
"The main gates are now open. People are already driving in. Are we set on your end?" Steve asked.  
  
"Yes. We are. Teams A and B, place the bots in their positions." Lee said.  
  
Lee looked at the monitor. He watched as the four gates opened and the cars started to pour in.  
  
"Here we go." He quietly muttered.  
  
8:55:24 – Hwoarang was running all over the place. He ran onto the main floor and up the stairs. He looked inside Le Carre's office, thinking he was there. He wasn't.  
  
"Damn." He whispered.  
  
He went to the staircase, which also acted as a balcony that stood over the main floor. Hwoarang started looking for Le Carre and eventually found him talking with Adam at one of the terminals. He whistled loud, which got everyone's attention. He waved at Le Carre, who started to move his way. He met him at the edge of the staircase.  
  
"What?" Le Carre asked.  
  
"Baek's dead." He said.  
  
"Dead?" Le Carre questioned.  
  
"He was shot. Lee's got to be behind this." Hwoarang said.  
  
"We don't know that. He could have had a number of people after him..." Le Carre said.  
  
"We were the only ones who could stop Lee at this point. He's going to try to do anything he can to stop us." Hwoarang said.  
  
"And if it was Lee, why would he just kill Baek? He wasn't a major player in this." Le Carre said.  
  
Hwoarang didn't say anything, but he knew Le Carre was right. He looked around, trying to think of a reason when something caught his eye. A maintenance man had walked onto the floor. He was tall, well built, and looked familiar. The man turned around and Hwoarang recognized him. It was the bot, which looked like his father.  
  
"Gavin?" Hwoarang said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"He sent a bot into the building." He said.  
  
"How do you know this?" Le Carre said.  
  
"That man in the blue jumpsuit. It looks like my father, but he's dead." Hwoarang said.  
  
Le Carre looked at the man, who was now looking at them. He had a hunch about what was going on, and he decided to act on it.  
  
"Bomb!" He screamed.  
  
The bot then immediately exploded. The blast was big enough to blow everyone off their feet. Hwoarang slammed back into the railing and onto the floor. Le Carre landed a couple feet away, unconscious. When the blast ended, smoke filled the room, and debris littered the floor.  
  
8:59:57... 8:59:58... 8:59:59... 9:00:00... 


	23. 9:00 am 10:00 am

Tekken 24

Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".

The following takes place between 9:00 am and 10:00 am.

Events occur in real time.

9:00:00- The ATU was thick with smoke after the explosion. It was an eerie silence that was broken by the random sound of people getting up, things breaking, and the sound of people in shock.

Gavin Le Carre awoke where he landed, near a hallway far enough away from the main area of damage. The blast had carried him twenty feet away. His ears rang and his eyes had a dark spot in the center. They were both effects of the explosion: the sound temporarily deafening him, and the brightness also temporarily burning into his corneas. He collected his bearings and started walking towards the main floor.

He stopped when he saw Hwoarang on the floor near the stairwell, lying unconscious on his side. His face was littered with random cuts from flying glass. But his worst injury was the cut on the side of his forehead, which re-opened when he hit the floor. It was starting to make a small pool of blood on the concrete floor.

Gavin knelt down to help him. He called out to Hwoarang, who took more than a moment to respond. Hwoarang groaned, and then winced as he turned over onto his back.

"You ok?" Le Carre asked.

Hwoarang finally opened his eyes. He was clearly in a lot of pain, but Gavin knew the kid had pushed through worse. Le Carre offered his hand out to Hwoarang, who took it and pulled himself up off the floor.

"Was that the bot?" Hwoarang asked.

"Yeah. How the hell did it get in here?" Le Carre asked.

Hwoarang didn't know if that was a direct question towards him, or if it was just Le Carre thinking aloud. He glanced over at Le Carre, who was looking at the main floor.

As the smoke began to clear, Hwoarang could see people moving around, all injured in some way. There were also many people lying on the floor either seriously injured or dead. He noticed someone that looked familiar to him, and when he went up to look at the dead person; he realized that it was Adam. His body was on the ground, his neck bent at an awkward angle. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face. It was one of those things that he felt would keep him feeling awake for a few more minutes.

Le Carre came over to him and cursed loudly when he saw Adam. Out of the corner of his eye, Hwoarang saw Jin coming over to them.

"What the hell happened? I heard an explosion." Jin said.

Le Carre was beginning to get noticeably emotional, and Hwoarang knew that he didn't need Jin asking questions.

"Not now." Hwoarang said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Jin asked.

"Not now! Go back downstairs; I'll talk to you in a little while." Hwoarang snapped.

Jin didn't respond. He turned around and went back downstairs. Hwoarang knew the other man was visibly shocked as how forceful he was, but it was needed.

Right now, Le Carre had been shook by the explosion. Around them, other agents and technicians were organizing the situation, and Le Carre would make the decisions. But for now, he needed to take a moment to clear his head. Hwoarang placed his hand on Le Carre's shoulder.

"I'll give you a moment. Clear your head." He said.

He began to walk off when Le Carre grabbed hold of his arm.

"Are you mad?" Le Carre asked.

"Excuse me?" Hwoarang responded.

"About your father, are you mad at what happened?" Le Carre asked.

"Of course I am."

"Good. Because I was lied to." Le Carre said.

"Are you ok? You're not making much sense." Hwoarang said.

"Drake lied to me earlier. He said he had no clue what was going on. After this, I know he knows what's happening. I want you to go question him." Le Carre said.

"How far can I go?" Hwoarang asked.

"How far do you want to go?" Le Carre responded.

9:06:37 – Kazuya was still in the van. He watched the smoke rise into the sky, just like the numerous amounts of other citizens would stare at the smoke with terror. People hear the explosion and immediately many of them think this is 9/11 all over again. Others worried about what happened. Kazuya didn't care. His job was complete.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Lee's number.

"Yes?" Lee asked.

"It's done."

"Good. Now go back to the Zaibatzu. I've already had the building cleared. There's just someone up in my office I need you to keep an eye on." Lee said.

"Who?" Kazuya asked, curious.

"You'll know when you get there." Lee said.

Lee hung up the phone. He let out a sigh of relief. With the ATU out of the way he was free to go on with his charade.

Lee was never one made for acting, but he imagined he had done a fabulous job so far. He genuinely felt bad for what he did to the ATU and all the people there. But that was an emotion that never went further than his mind. If his facial expression was allowed to show what he felt right now, Kazuya would kill him on the spot.

The truth was that he was playing a dangerous game. He had deceived too many people to get to this point, and he wasn't about to stop. Like a game of poker, if you have a killer hand or a killer secret in this case, you play the hand like it's something other than what it is.

Ling was still sitting on the other side of the room. She had been staring at him for the past five minutes. He knew that she was mad at him for his sudden change in personality.

Lee heard a knock on the door, and he turned to look at her, and in that split second he let his guard down. He let his face show the emotion he felt a moment prior, and she noticed it. It was a look of fear, sadness, and determination all in one. She still had no clue as to what was going on, but whatever it was, she could tell that he was having a tough time dealing with it.

He opened the door, and in walked Steve. He had changed into normal clothes, which for him meant something people stare at. He was a wild child, but Lee gave him enough incentive to do what he asked.

"Are we secure here?" Lee asked.

"Oh yeah. The office is empty downstairs. The supervisor called in somebody to take the place for the normal guy. The gates are open, and everything's cool." Steve said.

"That's good. We can't have anyone knowing that we're here." Lee said.

9:10:44 – Hwoarang walked into the medical center. He needed to know a few things before he ripped Drake a new one.

It felt strange being back here. He remembered walking out of here earlier in the morning half dead. It was nice to be back, safe and sound.

Hwoarang saw Jin sitting on a bench next to Branch's desk. He was actually surprised to see that the center was still as flawless as it was this morning. The building must have had a good contractor. He moved over to the desk and took a seat next to Jin.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping on you back there." Hwoarang said.

"It's cool. I'm sorry about your father." Jin said.

Hwoarang figured that Branch must have told Jin about Baek.

"Thanks." He said.

"I'm guessing this makes it personal now?" Jin asked.

"Personal was before he killed my father." He responded.

Branch glanced over at Hwoarang. The man continued to type on the keyboard of his computer.

"What can I help you with, Hwoarang?" Branch asked.

"I need to see Drake's medical file."

"What for?" Branch asked.

"I'm going to be questioning him here in a few minutes, and I need to see if he has anything I should know about. Like if I hit him in the chest and his heart explodes because he does too much coke. You know, stuff like that." Hwoarang said.

Branch riffled through a pile of folders and pulled one out. He handed it to Hwoarang, who immediately began looking through it.

"I didn't find anything on him, but just in case." Branch said.

"Thanks. By the way Jin, what are you doing down here?" Hwoarang asked.

Branch answered the question.

"Blood work. I need to see how he's reacting to the virus." Branch said.

Hwoarang nodded. He then turned to leave.

"Hey. Do you need any help with Drake?" Jin asked.

"Drake's going to be the one who needs it. But I don't think that'll do much good." Hwoarang said as he left.

9:17:05 – Drake's interrogation room was immediately next to the medical center. Hwoarang stood outside the room and took a deep breath. Interrogation wasn't his specialty. He remembered his first interrogation. He asked the wrong questions, the suspect played mind games with him, and Hwoarang beat him unconscious. He had improved since then, but there was one rule that the army made him abide by: Never interrogate while emotionally unstable.

He didn't have time to tell people he couldn't do it. Besides, Le Carre pretty much told him to go to town on Drake. As dirty as it sounded, he was going to give Lee the same treatment. If you kill a father, you kill a son. And that worked both ways.

He turned around and angrily pushed the open the door to the interrogation room. Drake was somewhat surprised by the sudden burst of anger. If there was one thing Drake was clearly afraid of, it was Hwoarang. He found the Korean reckless and smug. But what really scared him was the determination the man had. Once he had his mind set on something, it was going to happen.

Hwoarang stared at Drake for a moment before sitting in a chair on the other side of the table that separated them.

"You know what, I'm really fucking tired, and so I'm going to cut the bullshit." Hwoarang said.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Drake said smugly.

Hwoarang stared at him, emotionless as always. Drake continued to smile, his teeth shining in the glow of the light that was hanging above them.

"Where's Lee?" he asked.

"I told the other guy that I didn't know. He kept me in the dark on everything." Drake said.

Hwoarang bolted out of the chair, flipped himself onto the table, and swung both feet around, kicking Drake squarely in the chest. Drake fell to the floor, and Hwoarang stood on Drake's chest. Drake screamed, his arms still handcuffed behind the chair. The arms of the chair were pressing his elbows into the floor. If Hwoarang wanted to, he could easily break the other man's arms.

"Where is he?" Hwoarang screamed forcefully.

"Jesus! I don't know." Drake said.

"You know what? I still don't believe you." He said.

Hwoarang stomped on Drake's chest; a loud crack came from Drake's arms. He screamed, and Hwoarang got off. He picked Drake up and set him back in front of the table.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You can't do this to me!" Drake exclaimed.

"Really? What do you think I should do about that?" Hwoarang asked, completely calm, sarcastic even.

"I told you, I don't know where Lee is!" Drake screamed.

"Ok. You may not know where he is, but I bet you know how to get a hold of him." Hwoarang said.

"You mean a phone number? I wouldn't give it to you even if I knew one." Drake said.

Hwoarang didn't respond. He walked over behind Drake. Drake was trying to regain control again, even after Hwoarang broke his arm. Hwoarang pulled his gun out and held it against Drake's temple. Drake panicked.

"He has one number that I called him through. 3-2334-9182." Drake said.

"Thanks." Hwoarang said, pulling out his phone.

"You're calling it?" Drake asked.

"Of course." Hwoarang said.

The line rang. The grip Hwoarang held on the gun tightened, a mixed sense of fear and anger flowing through him. Drake watched on, nervous.

"Yes?" Lee said.

Hwoarang froze. He didn't expect it to work.

"Hello?" Lee said.

"I'm still here." Hwoarang finally said.

"How did you get this number?" Lee asked.

"Your son. I broke his arm to get it."

"You won't get me to give myself up." Lee said.

"Even if I killed your son?" Hwoarang said.

"You won't."

Hwoarang smiled sadistically. He then raised the gun and aimed it at Drake, who openly began to protest.

"No!" Drake yelled.

"What are you doing?" Lee asked.

"I'm aiming for his head. I think this is just punishment after what you did to my father." Hwoarang said.

"Dad!" Drake yelled.

"It's your call, Lee. Tell me where you are and give yourself up or you get to hear your son die." Hwoarang said.

Lee didn't respond, and Drake had backed himself up against the wall, sweating profusely. Hwoarang kept his aim steady.

"I'll give you ten seconds. Ten..." Hwoarang said.

Drake could literally feel his heart stop. He was staring at the barrel of the gun, waiting to see if the bullet would spiral his direction.

"Nine..."

Lee, at the stadium, was at a loss. He didn't know what to do.

"Eight..."

Hwoarang was completely emotionless. Was he willing to kill Drake? Yes. He didn't even need to think twice about it.

"Seven..."

Lee's mind raced through the possible decisions, and none of them looked promising. He could let his son die, and he would go on with his plan. But he would have to live with the fact that he heard his son die, and he didn't do everything he could to stop it.

"Six..."

But if Lee decided to give himself up, what would that do? His plan would be shot and his boss would come after him and Drake, even if they were in prison.

"Five..."

Hwoarang was preparing himself to pull the trigger. That was the one thing nobody knew about. He had it all set up with Le Carre. He raced to try to get a communications setup going, just so he could trace this call. Hwoarang was wearing an earpiece, and just before he broke Drake's arm, Le Carre had told him that everything was ready on his side. Now it was just a matter of time to see if Lee would flinch.

"Four..."

"You won't do it." Drake said, on the verge of tears.

"I will. Three..." Hwoarang said.

"Dad, just tell him!" Drake screamed, uncontrollably sobbing now.

Lee remained silent.

"Two..."

Hwoarang could hear Lee taking a deep, shaky, breath on the other end.

"One..."

"God..." Lee whispered.

"No!" Drake screamed.

Hwoarang pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun shot surprised Lee. The bullet was aimed for Drake's head, and that's where it went. The angle of entry caused the bullet to come out the other side, which sent blood and brain matter onto the wall behind him. Drake's body slumped to the ground, chair and all.

"Time's up, Lee." Hwoarang said.

"You're a dead man." Lee said.

"Touché." Hwoarang said.

"You have no idea what you just did." Lee said.

"I do. Just so you know, I'm coming for you. Will you roll out the carpet for me?" Hwoarang asked.

Lee hung up.

Hwoarang left the room. He headed back upstairs to see what Le Carre came up with.

9:33:17 – Lee went into panic mode. The thought that Drake was dead was prominent in his mind, but he had bigger things to worry about. The fact that Hwoarang was still alive was trouble enough, but to think that he may have found out where he was, that was worse.

He turned to Steve, who had watched on with Ling. Steve was anxious to find out what happened.

"Steve? I need you to get someone to set up a sniper post up in here. I want you to take Ling down to the fallback point. I think we've been compromised." Lee said.

"Who was it?" Steve asked.

"Who do you think?" Lee said.

"What about you?" Steve asked.

"I'll be with the crowd." Lee said.

Lee noticed Ling out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling, happy that Hwoarang was still alive. She stopped grinning when she realized he was looking at her. He then punched her. The impact with her face caused the back of her head to knock against the wall. She moaned in pain as Steve grabbed her arm and walked her out of the room. Lee glanced out the window at the massive crowd gathering for what they thought would be a normal day for baseball.

9:36:54 – "What the fuck did you do?" Le Carre yelled.

He was standing in the doorway a private locker room inside the ATU. Hwoarang was changing his shirt, and ignoring him. Le Carre was pissed. He stomped up to Hwoarang and grabbed a bare arm and turned him around.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Le Carre yelled.

"What?" Hwoarang protested.

"You killed Drake!" Le Carre said.

"I know that. What do you want me say? I'm sorry?" Hwoarang asked, putting on a t-shirt.

"I want to know what the fuck drove you to kill him? I should be throwing you behind bars, just like I did to Wallace!" Le Carre yelled.

"What drove me to kill him? Isn't it fucking obvious? That piece of shit's father killed the only last fucking thing that was important to me!" Hwoarang yelled, and then turned around to put on a pair of blue jeans.

"I understand you're upset, but what would you have done if we weren't able to trace the call?" Le Carre asked.

Hwoarang was now trying to put on a pair of tennis shoes. He felt run down, empty, angry, and bitter. He didn't give two shits about Drake or the consequences that came with killing him. If Lee wanted to make it personal, Hwoarang would make sure it was very personal.

"If you want the truth, I killed him because Lee would never let that completely go. Even if he infected the city, somehow he would come after me. He wouldn't rest till he killed me himself. After all, I killed his son." Hwoarang said.

"Jesus. You've lost it. I'm taking you out of this." Le Carre said.

"You need me." Hwoarang said.

"Really? Tell me why?" Le Carre asked.

"Because I've got enough guts to pull off something insane like this operation. Because I've got enough drive to get to get that son of a bitch. That's why." Hwoarang said.

"Just checking. Suit up." Le Carre said.

"Where is he?" Hwoarang asked.

"The Tokyo Dome. Turns out there's going to be a triple header there today." Le Carre said.

"Triple header? Do those even exist?" Hwoarang asked.

"Well, it's a make-up of a rain delay and a double header directly afterwards." Le Carre said.

"Wow. Long day." Hwoarang said as he started to put on a bulletproof vest over his shirt.

9:40:07 – The crowd buzzed with excitement. Lee could tell that they were anxious for the game to start, which was scheduled to start thirty-five minutes from now.

After the phone call from Hwoarang, he knew he had to hide himself amongst the crowd. He had Steve send up a man to take up a sniper post in the room. If Hwoarang was going to take down the bots, the sniper could take the little bastard out if he got too close.

The man was currently adjusting the scope on the high-powered rifle. Lee wished the man good luck and left the room.

The hallway outside the room had two entrances and exits: the elevator, and the door about a hundred feet from where Lee currently stood. This led to a stairwell that went down about six flights. It was primarily used as a fire escape, but the alarm had been disabled. At the top of the stairs was a small cardboard box. Lee opened it and removed the proximity mine. He then slapped it to the wall and activated it, making sure to get away from it as quickly as possible.

9:43:31 – The assembly of marked ATU vehicles rushed down the streets of Tokyo, light flashing and sirens blaring. Hwoarang was in the lead vehicle, sitting in the passenger's seat. He was going over the plans of the stadium.

According to the plans, the stadium was pretty much one big circle that just had many shortcuts to get to different parts of the building. But that one circle had four primary floors. One was the main traffic floor, which customers had access to concessions and most other things you see at a ball game. Another floor was a basement, which was used for storage. Another was the administration offices, and the other was for the two VIP boxes.

If Lee was inside, Hwoarang realized that he could be anywhere. But hiding in any one of those places, if he wasn't careful, would be suicide. But for him, the most ideal place to set up shop inside the stadium would be one of the VIP boxes. There he could see everyone, and possibly not be seen by whoever might be out there.

He was in charge, and as the entourage entered the stadium gates, Hwoarang knew that he was going to win this fight.

9:47:50 – Lee's cell phone rang as he walked down the stairs towards the aisle that held his seat.

"What?" he said, annoyed.

"He's here." Steve said.

"Who's here?" Lee asked.

"Hwoarang is here." Steve said.

Lee stopped and stood in front of his seat. His mind drifted off for a moment. He had underestimated Hwoarang once again. Whatever happened, it would all be over soon.

"Did you hear me?" Steve asked.

"Yeah." Lee said.

"Should we release the virus?" Steve asked.

"No. I'm waiting for the first pitch." Lee said.

"Why? Hwoarang's already here. If he finds out where the bots are, we're finished. We'll be lucky to get out of here as it is." Steve said.

"Look, just forget about all that. Where did you put Ling?" Lee asked.

"She's in the basement with a bot. The bot is programmed to explode if anyone comes near it." Steve said.

"Good. Just make sure everything's ok on your end and we'll be fine." Lee said.

He hung up and quickly made another call as he sat down in his seat. The line on the other end picked up.

"Yes?" a man asked.

"We've got company. I imagine that they'll use the other VIP box. Be careful." Lee said.

He hung up and took a deep breath. He was nervous.

9:50:23 – Hwoarang walked through the back gate of the stadium with five other men. Outside, about another fifteen men were setting up a perimeter in the loading dock area on the other side of the opened gate.

"Ok everyone, listen up!" Hwoarang said.

All of the agents turned to face him, their attention focused solely to his voice.

"Who's the sniper in this group?" he asked.

A man in the front of the group raised his hand.

"Ok. You're coming with me. The rest of you I want to finish setting up the perimeter and then coordinate with the chief of security here to find out where these bots are. We have probably an hour or less before the virus is unleashed. Let's move!" he said.

The sniper agent walked with Hwoarang as he moved through the loading dock area. At this point, it had been evacuated prior to their arrival. This area led to the kitchen of the main concession stand, which in turn led to the main walkway for the crowd.

The crowd was still bustling, the occasional on-looker glancing at Hwoarang and the agent as if something bad was going on. But other than that, everyone ignored them. They were too preoccupied with getting their overpriced refreshments before finding their seat.

The elevator to the VIP room was about two hundred yards away from the concession stand. Its golden painted doors a sign that you needed a good deal of money to get beyond them. A magnetic card reader was to the side of the elevator. All Hwoarang needed to do was take the access card in his hand and run it across the front of it and it would read it. The light on it turned green and the elevator doors opened.

The plush interior of the elevator was decorated with a deep cherry red wood floor, and white, heavily-padded walls. The light gave the look that a fireplace was roaring somewhere that couldn't be seen. It gave a nice sense of warmth to anyone who entered.

The doors shut and Hwoarang took a deep breath. He was nervous.

9:55:49 – The sniper in Lee's VIP room had set up an H&K PSG-1. It was a highly known weapon that had pretty much set the standard in sniper rifles.

He was looking through the scope at the people in the stands. To his left, he could see Lee sitting, arms stretched out across the seats next to him. He then looked for the bots, just so he could mentally note their locations. Lei was on the right, Hwoarang was on the left.

He then looked at the VIP box across the way. Since the window was tinted, he pushed a button on the customized sight, and everything seen through it was in thermal vision. Good timing too, because just as he did it, two people walked into the room.

9:56:57 – Hwoarang and the agent walked into the empty VIP room. The floor, walls, everything but the window was white. The room was divided once again by a huge divider that in some ways could be considered the world's smallest hallway. It was big enough to completely hide a person from anyone peeking inside, even if they could see through the tinted glass.

"Guess they haven't decorated yet." The agent said.

"Guess not. Go ahead and set up your post here. We can start looking for the bots once you're ready." Hwoarang said.

The agent set the case he had brought with him on the floor and immediately began setting up his rifle. Hwoarang was impressed by how fast it took. The rifle, a Sig Sauer SSG 3000, was as easy as taking it out of the box and setting up the tripod it rested on. The only thing that needed work was adjusting the sight, if it hadn't been done already.

Hwoarang leaned up against the divider, staring at the back of the room when he heard a ping come from the glass window. He turned his head to stare at the agent to find him on the floor holding his neck, an arterial spray effortlessly escaping from it.

Hwoarang tried to peek around the corner. He didn't see too much before a bullet hit the wall in front of him, missing him by mere inches. He turned back into the small hallway, realizing that he was cornered.

9:59:57...

9:59:58...

9:59:59...

10:00:00...

Bonus Features, part 1:

I love the DVD format, mainly the ability to add extra things that you normally always couldn't with VHS. So here's the first part of special features for this story.

(Alternate Ideas)

Originally, I had planned the story to be mainly about Hwoarang trying to protect Jin within a one day period. It didn't take me long to realize how boring that could quickly get, so I decided to switch things up a bit by killing Jin off early. That way I could build another story off of it.

The whole "torture" storyline that Hwoarang goes through is to mainly show how fragile he really is under all the macho talk. His ego really does take a backseat in this story and that's what I was aiming for. I think that a person like Hwoarang would act something like this after going through something like that.

There were some alternate ideas that I had that eventually went to the cutting room floor. One was just a deleted scene from the "7 pm – 8 pm" chapter. It included an additional scene for the fight between Chen and Hwoarang. It dealt with Chen getting a chain early on and nearly strangling Hwoarang, who got out of it and then moved onto using the bat on Chen, which is where the story picks back up again.

Another idea that got scrapped was an entire storyline that started at the "3 am – 4am" chapter. Lee's house outside the city was built more like a castle with a private airport behind it. It dealt with Hwoarang sneaking in and rescuing a scientist who knew about a cure to the Devil gene virus. Hwoarang rescues him and escapes in a helicopter. The bad guys obviously give chase. This would have resulted in a helicopter chase in downtown Tokyo at sunrise. It was a good idea, but I didn't like where the story was going at that point, so I changed it.

Lee's place became a little more modern, and the scientist was replaced by Julia Chang, and all the bad guys and good guys show up this time.

Since we haven't seen the ending to this story yet, the alternate endings will be saved until the end. But until the next update, you'll be happy to know that there will be a "Day Two", and from what I've got planned out for it, it will surely be better than the first. So stay tuned, and enjoy!


	24. 10:00 am 11:00 am

Tekken 24

Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".

The following takes place between 10:00 am and 11:00 am.

Events occur in real time.

10:00:00- Hwoarang was breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. He raised his right arm and wiped the sweat of his forehead. Sliding down the wall, he sat on the floor of the VIP box. He grabbed the radio off of his bulletproof vest and hit the 'speak' button.

"This is the SAC in the VIP box. I've got an agent down and I'm under sniper fire from the other box across the stadium. I need backup, over?" Hwoarang said.

Nobody responded.

"Somebody answer me, dammit!" He demanded.

A static noise came on the radio, ending with the click, which resumed with the sound of somebody's voice.

"Agent Doo San? We sent a team up into the box. I'll notify you when the situation is neutralized." An agent said.

10:01:13 – A team of four SWAT officers raced down a hallway, headed towards the VIP box stairwell. They kicked the door open and up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

After six flights, the lead agent saw something at the top of the stairs. He could tell it was an explosive and raised his hand, which was balled in a fist. It told his team to stop.

He stood about twenty feet away from the device and he wasn't about to go any closer. If it was a remote device, there would have been more of them. If it was a trip mine, they would have been a wire attached to the detonator. That left only one possibility: proximity. The agent hit the button on his chest which opened up his voice into the radio.

10:03:47 – "Access to the VIP box has been compromised. There is an explosive device attached to the top of the stairwell. I believe it is set to a proximity trigger." The agent said.

"Fuck." Hwoarang swore under his breath.

The possibilities played out in his mind. In one situation, Hwoarang made a mad bolt for the door. A bullet flew the glass and hit him in the temple, decorating the white wall in brain matter gray.

In another situation, he used his sidearm to shoot off the hinges to the door. The noise caused the crowd to panic and that resulted in a riot. Even then, as he ran out the room, the sniper still shot him in the back of the head.

Sitting there in the small hallway, Hwoarang lightly pounded the back of his head against the wall. Frustrated, he slammed his fist against the floor.

"Shit! Why am I always the one who ends up in these types of situations?" Hwoarang yelled.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Meditation was something he didn't really do anymore. He always used to do it before he practiced when he was a kid. Baek demanded it. But once he hit puberty and became the wild child he was now, he just simply stopped. Baek didn't care, as long as he still trained.

Hwoarang relaxed, making sure to take slow, deep breaths. The frustration left him after a few seconds. He continued to concentrate on the sounds around him. Outside, he could hear the roar of the crowd. Inside the room, there was no noise. That was when he opened his eyes.

He looked at the agent on the floor. The man was dead. The wound on his neck had bled out onto the floor, the heel of Hwoarang's shoe barely touching it. Hwoarang looked past the agent, his eyes resting on the rifle. Immediately, an idea came to him.

"Would it work?" he whispered aloud.

He thought about it for a moment and made up his mind. He took out the radio again and hit the button.

"Hey guys, take your time. I'm going to try something up here." Hwoarang said.

"Be careful. Don't get yourself killed." An agent warned over the radio.

Hwoarang stood up and took a deep breath. He was always one for taking risks, but this really took the cake. The chances of this actually succeeding were about as rare as getting pocket aces in Hold 'Em poker.

He jumped out of the hall, diving for the rifle. In a split second, he landed in front of the rifle, aimed, and fired. He didn't even know if he hit anything. Hwoarang popped back the bolt, which ejected the empty shell and brought a new one out from the clip. He then quickly grabbed the rifle and rolled on the floor, trying throw off the aim of the other sniper, just in case he missed.

A bullet flew through the window and narrowly missed him by an inch as he rolled into a new position. Seeing as Hwoarang couldn't see into the other VIP box, he took a blind aim, and fired. The noise of the rifle was reverberating into the stadium. Whatever noise the crowd was making was now deafened by the sound of the powerful rifle in Hwoarang's hands.

He quickly took the rifle and ran back into the hallway. No more shots followed him as he ran for cover. But he had to be sure that the sniper was dead. He poked his head out into the open. Nothing came, which was a relief for Hwoarang.

"Hwoarang, what's your sit rep?" Le Carre said, his voice crackling over the radio.

"We've got one agent dead. I was under sniper fire, but I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore. But we're going to need more bodies over here for crowd control. I had to make a bit of noise and it got their attention." Hwoarang said.

"Ok. I already sent plenty of backup; I don't want Lee getting away from us. Have you found the bots yet?" Le Carre said.

10:10:10 – Hwoarang turned around, ready to answer Le Carre's question, but was met with a hard right cross to the face, compliments of Steve Fox.

He dropped the rifle and the radio, stumbling backwards. Steve advanced him, giving him a left jab to the face. Hwoarang had been dizzied, and Steve took full advantage of it by delivering a blow to the stomach.

The gut shot forced Hwoarang against the wall near the right side of the window. His mind was still recovering from the shock of the attack. Steve attacked again, a left cross connecting with Hwoarang's jaw, causing him to spit blood from his mouth against the wall. He finally recovered and tackled Steve, pushing him until his back slammed against the wall on the other side of the room.

Steve retaliated, joining his fists and slamming them into Hwoarang's back. Hwoarang yelled in pain. Steve quickly grabbed his hair and pulled his head up, and punched him in the face, or so he thought. Hwoarang had grabbed the fist and snap kicked Steve in the chest. Steve fell to the floor. Hwoarang crossed in front of the window.

"Don't ever fuck with the hair!" Hwoarang yelled.

Steve bolted off the floor and tackled Hwoarang, the two crashing through the window and out onto the canopy the covered the stands below. The two of them rolled, Steve stopping himself not very far from the window. Hwoarang continued to roll down, not able to grab a hold of anything. He fell off, grabbing hold of the last bit of canopy with one hand. The crowds all stared at him in amazement, wonder, curiosity, and horror. They had no clue what was going on.

Steve got back up into the room and left, running off to who knows where.

10:15:02 – Hwoarang's arm strained, trying to keep him from falling the sixty feet to the seats below. If he fell, the chances of his survival would be limited.

The crowd stared at him, afraid he was going to fall. Hwoarang might not be in the best shape, but he surely didn't have a death wish. He slowly began to pull himself up, finally grabbing a hold of the edge with his other arm.

His arm muscles bulged as he pulled himself up onto the ledge. As soon as he got a foot up onto the ledge, he rolled himself onto the ledge. His mouth was hanging open, taking in all the air it could.

Hwoarang was exhausted, but he knew he had to go after Steve. He stood up and climbed back into the VIP room, checking his face for any open wounds as he walked back in.

Suddenly, the other VIP box exploded across the stadium. Immediately, the crowd panicked. Hwoarang heard people screaming and yelling. A mass of people began to flood the exits.

Hwoarang grabbed the radio strapped to his vest.

"We have an explosion coming from the West side VIP box. The crowd's panicking; they're flooding the exits!" Hwoarang yelled into the radio.

Hwoarang knew what the explosion was. The team must have tried to disable it, and in the process it must have gone off. He darted into the VIP box and out the door. The shit had just hit the fan, and he had no clue what to do.

10:19:57 – Lee Chaolan was where he had been for the past half an hour. He saw and heard the gunfire. He even saw Hwoarang dangling from the VIP box. But he wasn't about to be apart of the chaos that the large crowd was causing.

Even now, he could tell he was being watched, and it definitely wasn't from Hwoarang's group. It was his employer – William Amstel. The man was very rich and crazy as hell. He thought he could take over the world if he funded Lee's research into the Combots. More than likely, especially after Nina's incident, Amstel had somebody placed at the stadium to make sure that everything went smoothly.

Lee knew how to take care of this. He pulled out his PDA and accessed the programming to the three bots on site. He needed to move them. There were three bots: Lei, Anna, and Hwoarang.

He sent Lei to the front doors, which is where he figured the majority of the crowd would be going. He kept Anna with Ling, while he sent Hwoarang after Hwoarang. It only seemed fitting. The only regret that Lee had was that he wouldn't be there to see it.

Lee got out of his seat and put his PDA in his suit jacket. He had to get out of here, but with the crowd, he figured he might have to wait for an opening. He didn't want hundreds of people following him as he made a mad dash out of here.

10:23:18 – Hwoarang ran down the hallway behind the concession stands. He needed to get to the front of the stadium, and this was the best way given the situation with the crowd. Le Carre had told him over the radio that he was on his way and that the backup should be there. He had no clue as to how many other agents would be on site, but given the crowd, he figured it was a good amount.

He didn't care about the amount of backup, what he really wondered was why hadn't Lee released the virus. It really was anyone's guess as to why he didn't, but Hwoarang had his money on Lee releasing it as soon as he saw him crashing through the VIP room window. If Hwoarang was Lee, he would have released the virus right there and then would have gotten the hell out of there.

Hwoarang burst out of the door at the end of the hall and saw the one thing he didn't expect: himself. The bot had seen him exit and immediately began attacking.

First was a kick aimed high for Hwoarang's face, which he ducked. The real Hwoarang countered with a punch to the bot's face. The impact of bone to steel wasn't pleasant, and this was the same with the impact of the punch. It hurt like hell.

Hwoarang backed off, shaking off the pain in his hand. He sure wasn't about to punch the bot again, seeing as it didn't even faze the damn thing.

The bot charged for him, and in one fluid motion, he grabbed the bot's left hand with his left hand and spun around, connecting his foot with the back of the bot's head. The bot fell to the concrete floor and immediately got up.

The feeling of fighting himself was unreal. He never would have thought that he would be fighting the bot that looked like him.

Hwoarang just remembered that he still had his sidearm. He pulled it out and checked the clip. He had two bullets in the clip with one in the chamber. He put the clip back in the gun and charged the bot.

The bot was had jumped, which only made the impact worse. Hwoarang had opened into a jump kick. The impact knocked the bot onto the floor. Hwoarang hopped onto the bot, straddling its chest. He quickly pointed the gun at the bot's head and pulled the trigger. The bot laid still, the bullet killing it instantly.

Hwoarang got up off the dead bot and ran for the main entrance.

10:30:00 – Steve was probably as confused as anybody else. He didn't know what the hell was going on. But he knew he didn't want to get caught. His mind was racing at a million miles an hour, mainly due to what Lee had told him to do in case Hwoarang actually showed up.

He was supposed to kill Ling. And as he raced down the dimly lit stairwell that led down into the storage basement under the pitcher's mound, he wasn't sure if he could do it to her.

He never was the type of person who could just kill somebody and leave it be. He had plenty of opportunity to finish off Hwoarang, but he just couldn't. If he couldn't kill somebody he didn't like, he knew he couldn't kill somebody that he did like. No amount of money could make him do that either. If there was one thing Steve Fox definitely had, it was a guilty conscience.

He stopped halfway down the stairwell and pulled the Beretta out of his waistband. He knew he couldn't do it. Would it really be that bad if he let her go? It almost didn't matter if he pulled the trigger or not, if the bot went off, she'd be dead anyway.

His cell phone rang. He pulled it out and flipped it open.

"Yeah?" Steve answered.

"It's me." Lee said.

"Where are you?" Steve asked.

"It doesn't matter. The money has already been transferred into your account. If you want more work, meet me back at the Zaibatzu in an hour." Lee said.

"What about Ling?" Steve asked.

Lee didn't respond right away. Steve didn't want to kill her. He was going to stuff Lee's order anyway if he decided to want her dead. He didn't care, and besides, how would Lee find out?

"Leave her." Lee said, hanging up.

Steve put the phone back in his pocket and the gun back in his waistband. He remembered Lee's offer, but he wasn't sure if he wanted it. Steve earned over a million dollars for his help on this botched operation, and that was enough to pay off the mob back in London. He wasn't about to press his luck.

Steve ran back up the stairs towards the surface. He needed to find a safe way out of the stadium.

10:33:43 – Gavin Le Carre was sitting in the passenger's seat of a marked car. It was just pulling into the stadium and he could believe what he was looking at.

Nearly fifty different police and ATU vehicles were surrounding the front entrance to the stadium. Reports had told him that nearly thirty-six thousand people were inside the stadium. Crowd control was a problem, and he wasn't sure if they could properly handle it.

Le Carre's decision was to keep them inside. It was the only way to contain the virus if it had been released. Plus, he hadn't heard from Hwoarang since he responded to the backup call. Getting just a bit anxious, Le Carre pulled out his cell phone and called Hwoarang.

"Yeah." Hwoarang said, sounding like he was out of breath.

"What's the situation in there?" Le Carre asked.

"I took one bot down. Lee must have sent it after me. I'm heading to the front now. If I were Lee, I'd have the bots follow the crowd." Hwoarang said.

"Which bot did you take down?" Le Carre asked.

"The one that looked like me. Hey look, should we start moving these people out? It's getting insane in here. The crowds are looting the different concession stands in here. It's just a matter of time before it starts getting really violent." Hwoarang said.

"I'm keeping everyone inside until we know the virus hasn't been released."

"Why? Couldn't we just let them out one at a time? If we come across a bot, we know what they look like. We can just take them down." Hwoarang said.

"With nearly forty thousand people in there, bringing them out separately would take days to go through. Besides, there's still three other bots somewhere. We know of two others, but there's still one more I didn't find off of Lee's computer. It could be anyone." Le Carre said.

"So what do you suggest?" Hwoarang asked.

"Keep moving towards the front. We need to find the bots we know about first. After we dispatch them, we can start bringing them out in groups for examination. We have the cure for this virus, so if it's released around twenty or thirty people, we won't have a problem." Le Carre said.

Hwoarang didn't respond. Le Carre could hear him breathing hard over the line.

"What's going on?" Le Carre asked.

"I'm at the front door. Which two bots did you say were left?" Hwoarang asked.

"I didn't, but we've got for sure Anna Williams and Lei Wulong. Lei's in protective custody right now, so it's definitely the bot if you see him. Plus, Anna's body was recovered hours ago, so it would also be the bot in that case." Le Carre said.

"I see Lei. I'm going after him." Hwoarang said.

"Be careful." Le Carre said.

He pointed the driver towards the front entrance. Le Carre was going to try to give as much backup as possible.

The mass of security vehicles had made a circular blockade in front of the entrance, which seemed appropriate. Le Carre's vehicle was granted access into the small area, where three smaller vehicles had parked.

As soon as the car stopped, Le Carre heard gunfire coming from inside the entrance. He rushed out of the car, pulling his gun. Ten other agents did the same after they heard the shots.

Le Carre and the other agents stood in front of the six sets of automatic sliding doors. All of which had people rushing them. On some the glass was cracked in some spots, but not completely broken. Given the thickness of the glass, it would take a lot more pressure to break the glass.

Suddenly, Hwoarang came crashing through the middle set of doors. He landed on his back, rolling across the broken glass, which must have been cutting up his back. Le Carre could tell that he was barely conscious as Hwoarang rolled to a stop twenty feet in front of him.

Walking out through the broken door was Lei, or the robotic version of him. Le Carre raised his weapon at the bot, but he wasn't going to shoot just yet. He didn't want a flood of civilians coming out as he fired. The last thing they needed was casualties.

"Open fire!" one of the other agents yelled.

"No!" Le Carre yelled, but it was too late.

The agents fire for no more than three seconds. The bullets hailed the bot, which fell to the glass-littered pavement. Whatever made the bot tick was definitely not working anymore.

"One to go." Le Carre whispered.

He just hoped that nobody accidentally got shot. From the silence that came from the immediate crowd inside the entrance, it sounded like nobody was hurt. He was mad that the agents fired upon the bot at first, but changed his mind after thinking about the threat that it gave.

Le Carre ran over to Hwoarang, who was holding his back. At least the son of a bitch was conscious.

"Jesus Christ, are you ok?" Le Carre asked.

"Is that what they're calling me now?" Hwoarang asked.

Le Carre couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. Hwoarang sat up, wincing from the all the pain his body had sustained.

"Seriously, how are you feeling?" Le Carre asked.

"Like I just got thrown through a reinforced-steel door. You?" Hwoarang answered.

"Oh, I'm just peachy. You ok to work?" Le Carre asked.

Hwoarang didn't answer him. He was deep in thought. For the past day he had been thinking in the moment, and suddenly a 'What if' question popped into his head. He just couldn't answer it. The fact that he didn't know scared him.

Le Carre squatted down next to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you there?" Le Carre asked.

"Tell me something. If we get through this thing, what's going to happen to me? I doubt that I'll be working for the ATU. I've got no money; I've got no place to live. I just don't know what to expect." Hwoarang said.

"Look. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be where we are now. I can guarantee that you'll be well compensated for your time and your pain. After today, you'll have nothing to worry about." Le Carre said.

Le Carre's phone rang.

"Yeah." He said.

Hwoarang continued to sit there. He closed his eyes and raised his head up. He sat there, the near midday sun pouring UV rays onto his face.

"Gavin, I just picked up something on the Infrared satellite. It looks like we have an unidentified person leaving the stadium." An agent said over the phone.

"It's got to be Lee. Where did you find him?" Le Carre asked.

Hwoarang was listening. Once he heard Lee's name, he stood up.

"He's in the northwest quadrant. He's probably looking for a car near the exit." The agent said.

"Northwest Quadrant? That area was locked down as soon as agents were on site." Le Carre said.

Hwoarang heard the location and immediately took off in that direction. It was nothing but pure drive that made him move now. Le Carre turned around in time and noticed him running off, which made him mentally swear. He wondered how many second winds the kid had.

"Don't ask me how he got out, because I honestly don't know." The agent said.

"Is there anything else?" Le Carre asked.

"Yeah, you wanted me to check the schematics for anything out of the ordinary?" the agent said.

"Yeah. What'd you find?" Le Carre said.

"I found a small storage room that is directly underneath the pitcher's mound. It struck me as odd just because of where it was. The closest access point is a stairwell behind Concession Stand C." the agent said.

Le Carre snapped his fingers at a group of five agents who helped take down the bot minutes prior. They looked at him for a second, wondering why the hell he was snapping his fingers at them like they were servants. Le Carre put his hand over the mouthpiece.

"Guys, follow me. We've got a lead." He said.

They promptly began to follow him as he walked inside the stadium. The crowd was dying down due to an ingenious idea by some agent to get over the P.A. system and tell everyone to return to their seats. Surprisingly it worked. Le Carre saw the stand that the agent specified, and began moving toward it.

"I see it. Thanks for the lead." Le Carre said before hanging up.

10:42:52 – Steve was almost in the clear. He was in the parking lot and running towards the North Gate exit. Nobody saw him climb off the loading dock and he felt that he was home free. He was so excited.

He knew what he was going to do once he got out and paid off the mob. He was going rejoin the circuit and show everyone how much of a prize fighter he really was. Then, when that dream had been achieved, he was going to move to Jamaica.

In Steve's eyes, the nearly half mile distance from him to the gate seemed like it was ten feet away and that he would be there at any second. He could almost taste his freedom. Sadly, those dreams would never happen.

Hwoarang came out of nowhere and smacked him across the face with his gun. Steve flew right into the back of a car, his body still moving from the adrenaline. His mind and body had a delay. Steve didn't stop until nearly a whole second after Hwoarang bitch-slapped him.

Steve was sprawled across the pavement, gun in hand, and completely unconscious. Hwoarang looked at him for a second, and then noticed his gun. He threw his empty gun onto the ground and grabbed Steve's Beretta. He quickly checked the clip and then ran onto the top of a car. Off in the distance, Hwoarang could see Lee, and he was getting closer to the exit.

10:47:18 – Le Carre had his gun out in front of him as he cautiously ran down the stairs with five other agents in tow. So far, they met no resistance. But in this case, that was a very good thing and a very bad thing. Good in the fact that he didn't have to shoot at anything. Bad in the fact that the Anna bot had not been found and he had no clue where to look for it.

At the bottom of the stairwell was a long hallway which eventually opened up into the storage room. He could see in the dim light that Anna was standing at the end of the hallway. He took a wild guess and figured that somebody else was in the room.

"This is Special Agent in Charge Gavin Le Carre, if anybody is in this facility, identify yourselves now." He yelled.

Nobody responded. He waited another moment, thinking about how cold it was down here. It sort of felt like a walk-in freezer, only it was very wet and damp. The floor was wet, and the room reeked of a growing mold. Whatever this place was used for, it certainly wasn't for storing food. At least that's what he hoped.

"Gavin!" Ling yelled.

"Ling?" he called out.

"The bot's on a proximity trigger, don't come in!" she yelled.

"Thanks." He said.

He aimed at the head of Anna and fired one shot. The noise from the gun was ten times louder than it had a right to be. The bullet hit the bot right in the forehead. It fell to the ground, and Le Carre slowly advanced with his men. As he walked into the room, the bot didn't go off. He finally put his gun away when he saw Ling. Le Carre ran over to Ling, while he let the other agents take care of the bot.

"Where's Hwoarang?" she asked.

"Chasing after Lee, I suppose." Le Carre said.

"Did he release it?" she asked.

"No. I figured that would have been the first thing he'd do when he found out we were here." Le Carre said.

"Something strange is going on. I don't know what exactly, but Lee has something up his sleeve." Ling said.

"Tell me about it." Le Carre said.

10:53:39 – Hwoarang was close enough. He jumped onto another car and fired two more shots at Lee and missed.

Hwoarang had finally caught up to the bastard, and had fired at him, wasting nearly half of the clip he had in his gun.

The two continued to run, one chasing the other. Lee had already returned fire once, causing Hwoarang to duck behind a car for cover. After Hwoarang had popped off his two, Lee returned fire once again.

Hwoarang ducked behind another car, hearing three bullets bury themselves in the metal frame of the car in front of him. He then came out and fired two more shots. Lee was running on top of a car when Hwoarang fired. A bullet tore its way into the calf of Lee's left leg, and he fell face first onto the car he was standing on.

Hwoarang ran up to where Lee had fallen. When he got there, Lee was gone. A small smear of blood was the only thing present on the dark blue hood of the car.

He looked around for Lee, staying right where he was. He stayed completely quiet, knowing that Lee could pop out from anywhere. If he did, Hwoarang was ready to put a bullet in between Lee's eyes. God knows he deserved it.

The sun glared off the windows of the many cars in the lot, right into Hwoarang's eyes. It was getting hot out for a spring day. He guessed that it had to be reaching the seventy degree mark.

He continued to stare at the other cars, swearing to himself whenever he saw a tinted window. Lee had to be hiding between two cars. It was only logical. He started to move up the aisle, looking for Lee.

10:57:44 – Lee's calf was bleeding profusely. He had torn a sleeve of his suit jacket and made a tourniquet out of the black fabric. He quietly grunted at the pain that shot up his leg as he tightened it.

He then picked up his gun off the ground. Hwoarang's assumption was correct: he was hiding between two cars; minivans to be precise. He leaned over and looked under one to see if he could spot Hwoarang.

He could see the feet of the young Korean walking in his direction. At his current pace, he would be there in twenty seconds. That's when Lee got an idea. He got up off the ground and relocated between two more cars.

Lee then took out his phone and looked for the one number he never recognized, the number that Hwoarang called him from when he killed Drake. He hit send.

Suddenly, Hwoarang's phone rang loudly.

"Shit!" Hwoarang yelled.

Hwoarang frantically grabbed his phone, trying to shut it off. That's exactly what Lee hoped for. He came out from behind the car he was hiding behind and drew his gun, the tip of the barrel less than a foot away from Hwoarang's chest. Lee fired three times, sending the bullets right into Hwoarang's bulletproof vest.

Hwoarang screamed as he fell to the ground, clutching his chest. The pain feeling like he had been hit by baseballs traveling over a hundred miles an hour.

Lee ran off and smashed open the window of the closest SUV. He quickly hotwired the car and drove off.

The pain was almost unbearable. Hwoarang could feel his chest closing up. He was only able to take in short breaths. He had no clue what was happening, but if it wasn't for the devil gene, he probably would have been seriously injured. The gene almost immediately took effect; the pounding noise of his heartbeat slowly subsiding from his head.

Slowly, he got up off the ground and pried the bullets from the vest. He then picked up his gun and walked to the car in front of him. Like Lee, he busted out the window and got in. He made quick work of the wires, the engine turning over without a fight.

He pulled out into the aisle, put the clutch in gear, and slammed the pedal to the floor.

10:59:57...

10:59:58...

10:59:59...

11:00:00...

Bonus Features Pt. 2 –

Well, the biggest portion of features will be for the final chapter, which I hope to post sometime later this week. But for now, I hope these will do.

I have always loved the idea of soundtracks. It helps display the emotion of a story when strict dialogue cannot. This really applies to novels, I think. While none of these songs were especially made for these stories, I think they definitely fit the bill for the story.

As a DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these songs, and these two "albums" do not really exist. This is for entertainment purposes only. No profit has been made from mention of any of these songs.

Tekken 24: Day One OST:

1.Session (by Linkin Park, from the album "Meteora")  
2. Price to Play (by Staind, from the album "14 Shades of Gray")  
3. Shadow on the Sun (by Audioslave, from the album "Audioslave")  
4. Forfeit (by Chevelle, from the album "Wonder What's Next")  
5. Because of You (by Nickelback, from the album "The Long Road")  
6. New Beginning (by Trapt, from the album "Trapt")  
7. Your Disease (by Saliva, from the album "Every Six Seconds")  
8. Sick Sad Little World (by Incubus, from the album "A Crow Left To The Murder")  
9. From The Inside (by Linkin Park, from the album "Meteora")  
10. Burning Bright (by Shinedown, from the album "Leave A Whisper")  
11. Bodies - Vrenna's XXX Tweaker Mix (by Drowning Pool, from the "XXX Soundtrack)  
12. Krwlng (by Linkin Park, from the album "Reanimation")

And now for something really unexpectedâ€ (Note: Songs are subject to change)

Tekken 24: Day Two OST:

1. Puddle of Mudd – Nobody Told Me

2. Staind – Outside

3. Theory of a Dead Man – Invisible Man

4. Nickelback – Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)

5. Dexter Freebish – Ghosts

6. Stone Sour – Bother

7. Blue Oyster Cult – Don't Fear The Reaper

8. Syntax – Destiny

9. The Wallflowers – Everybody Out of The Water (New Frontier)

10. Rolling Stones – Paint It Black

11. Sevendust – Enemy

12. Linkin Park – Wth You (feat. Chairman Hahn, Aceyalone)

13. Finger Eleven – Suffocate

14. Seether – Sold Me

15. Audioslave – Show Me How To Live

Stay tuned for the final chapter "11 am - 12 pm", which will up by next weekend!


	25. 11:00 am 12:00 pm

Tekken 24

Disclaimer: Don't own "24" or "Tekken".

Author's Note: I apologize about this being late (as usual). I had a ton of homework this week, namely three papers, one of which was a short story for a creative writing class. Thankfully it's all done, and now here's the final chapter. Enjoy!

The following takes place between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm.

Events occur in real time.

11:00:00- Gavin Le Carre was just glad that the situation was under control. The stadium was under lock down, and nobody was getting out. Ling was safe, and Hwoarang was going after Lee. He just hoped that Hwoarang was able to get him.

He was below the stadium in the service basement which was supposed to be used for food storage, but the rank smell of mold told him that if there was food down here, it had been here for ages. Le Carre took a deep breath before coughing the stale air right back out. God, it smelled. "Let's get out of this room before we die from the lack of oxygen," he joked.

Ling agreed. It smelled about as bad as a bathroom after a case of diarrhea. The team Le Carre came in with was making a hasty exit, so she decided to follow. Le Carre brought up the rear. They exited through the stairway that led back up to the concession stand.

A dull roar echoed through the stadium. Le Carre knew it was the crowd. He would have coordinate with the Japanese authorities when it came to the eventual evacuation of this place, but he currently had other things to worry about.

The light momentarily caused Ling to squint. She had been down in the dim basement for a little while. Her eyes quickly adjusted, and she immediately began worrying about Hwoarang when she reached the top of the stairs. She then thought about Steve. "Gavin?"

Le Carre looked over his shoulder at her, continuing to walk out of the trashed concession stand. "What's up?"

"Did you know Steve was a part of this," she asked.

"Steve? Who's Steve?"

"Steve Fox. He was at the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament. I hadn't seen him since then, but somehow he was involved in this today," she said.

"I guess Lee would need some help with something this big. Do you know if he knew how to fire a sniper rifle?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but given his personality, he would rather hit somebody than shoot them," Ling said.

"What about Lee? I find it highly irregular that he has the place infiltrated, and doesn't release the virus when we show up. Besides, if he had you as a hostage, why didn't he kill you when we showed up?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I think he was either trying to tell us something, or he has something else planned," Le Carre said.

Le Carre's radio burst to life.

"We have a security breach on the north gate! Two vehicles: A large SUV and a smaller sedan. They just burst through," a man said over the radio.

"Shit," Le Carre said.

11:03:54 – The stolen car that Hwoarang was driving was speeding through downtown Tokyo, chasing after Lee Chaolan's stolen SUV. The speedometer was reaching seventy miles per hour. That doesn't seem like a lot on a normal day, but when you're in a crowded downtown district and approaching the lunch hour, seventy seems like one fifty.

He quickly swerved into the oncoming lane in order to avoid traffic stopped by a red light, and moved into the intersection. The car luckily squeezed between two cars in opposing lanes, one of which who slammed on their brakes after seeing Hwoarang's car flash right by in front of them.

About two blocks ahead, Hwoarang could barely make out the ash colored SUV. It was a big one, probably a Suburban or something similar. It took a sharp turn left, and Hwoarang followed suit, the car quickly gaining on the slower, much bigger vehicle.

The area they were in seemed familiar. Hwoarang hadn't been in Tokyo long, nor had he ever been in this city long enough to know the streets or the various shortcuts one could take to get somewhere. Once he turned onto the next street, he could clearly see Lee's destination on the horizon: Mishima Zaibatsu. It made sense. It was the one place Lee knew well enough to be able to hide from him. Hwoarang took out his cell phone and called Le Carre.

"Le Carre."

"It's me," Hwoarang said.

"What the hell happened? Where are you," he said.

"I think I'm following Lee towards the Zaibatsu building."

"Well, if he is headed there, it's guarded by our guys. He'll be arrested in no time," Le Carre said.

"Are you sure? Because I can see a helicopter landing on the roof," Hwoarang said.

"Ok. Follow him. If he goes to the front gate, there should be somebody there, he'll never get in," Le Carre said.

The car zoomed forward down the streets, still at near breakneck speed. He didn't think he could stay on the phone and keep driving like this for very long. He was lucky he hadn't had an accident already.

"Ok. I'll get back to you," Hwoarang said.

As he threw the phone into the passenger's seat, Hwoarang could still see the SUV, which was about a block and a half ahead of him.

11:08:16 – Lee had his cell phone out, and he dialed a number while watching the road. He was running red lights, and the SUV he was driving was huge. Given the interior and the huge GMC logo on the wheel, he figured he was driving a Yukon. It was a good thing, too. As long as he didn't have a collision with a Mack truck or a vehicle of equal size, Lee would bash right through the impact and keep moving. That was the beauty of vehicles this size.

The line rang, and somebody eventually picked up.

"Yeah," a woman answered.

"It's me. Go to secondary protocol. The helicopter just arrived right?"

"Yes," the woman responded.

"Have it prepped and ready to take me to the airport. Get a hold of the airport and have them prep my jet," Lee said.

"Is something wrong?"

"The stadium went bad. Hwoarang is chasing me now. I'm about to reach the gate. You took care of the agents there, right?"

"Kazuya took care of them personally," the woman said.

"Good. Is there with you now?"

"We're both here in your office. Just so you know: there's only one elevator working. The others had been deactivated when we arrived," the woman said.

"Okay. Which one is it?"

"Center elevator."

"Ok. Stay put," Lee said, hanging up.

11:11:47 – Le Carre got in the car he had parked outside of the stadium. He had told Ling to drive, but he didn't say where. He was worried. Something was going on, and he had a hunch that this is where it was going to end. He handed Ling the keys as he pulled his phone out.

"Where to?"

"Mishima Zaibatsu," he said.

"Why there," she asked.

"I've just got a bad feeling about this." Le Carre dialed a number and hit send. The line rang not once, not twice, not three times, but four times. There was no voice mail set up and the line continued to ring. "Damn," he said.

"What is going on here? Can you please tell me something," Ling protested.

"I think Lee went back there. I was checking on the men who had the building secured. I was trying to get a hold of the team leader. He would have picked up, and since he didn't, I worried about Hwoarang."

"What was he doing," Ling asked.

"Well, he told me that he was chasing Lee and that they were within visual range of the building. Plus, he said that he could see a helicopter landing on the roof," Le Carre said.

"I'll tell you one thing. When I was in the stadium, he gave a glance at me that told me something else was on his mind. It wasn't about the virus," Ling said.

Le Carre looked at her, not confused nor concerned, but like it made sense. "What was it?"

"I don't know. I wish I did. But whatever it was, he looked afraid," she said.

Lee didn't sound like the type to be afraid of much. His ego boasted enough bravado to even make Hwoarang sick to his stomach. To hear that he was afraid of an unknown factor was very disturbing.

"Okay. He was afraid," Le Carre thought aloud. "What was he afraid of? You, me, or Hwoarang?"

"It couldn't have been that. If he wanted to, he could have released that virus if he wanted to. You could see that something was up. I mean, look at how easily you took down that bot!"

"True. But if not that, what," Le Carre asked. He stayed silent for a moment, thinking hard. He glanced at the road ahead of them. Then it came to him. "Somebody else is in charge."

"What," she asked.

"That's what he was afraid of. He's afraid of his boss. When you screw up at work, your boss hounds your ass and threatens to fire you, so you work harder than ever to get back on their good side. Lee screwed up at the school and the apartment building, so his boss must have given him one last chance," Le Carre said.

"But since he failed, what do you think will happen?"

"Whoever Lee's working for will probably try to kill him. I just hope we won't be too late."

11:15:03 – Lee was trying to get inside, but it was almost impossible with Hwoarang chasing him. First it was by car, now it's on foot again. Lee pulled out his gun and fired three shots at Hwoarang, who ducked behind a car when he pulled the gun out. He took the chance to sprint to the back entrance and rush inside.

Hwoarang dashed after him immediately after the shots recessed. He admitted that even though he was a bit out of shape and tired as all hell, he was considerably faster than Lee. It took him nearly half as much time for him to run inside as it did for Lee. That was a good thing too; because had he been any slower, he wouldn't know which was Lee would have gone. He saw that the door to a stairwell off to the side of the lobby was just swinging shut. It was the only thing disturbed, and he ran for it. As soon as he entered, two shots came his direction. Hwoarang successfully avoided them, and he could hear Lee's yells of frustration.

Lee was two floors up, and he started running up. This was where the real test of endurance was. With the elevators out, Lee and Hwoarang would be running up at least sixty flights of stairs, and even for the most athletic person, it was still a daunting task.

Hwoarang started running up the stairs three at a time, hoping it would help gain him some ground on Lee. Was he upset about everything that had happened today? Yes, but it was all in the back of his head right now. He was running on fumes and his concentration was all that kept him on Lee's back.

They were approaching the twentieth floor and Lee stopped. He held his gun out, and aimed. Hwoarang was less than a floor down from him, and Lee could hear him rushing up the stairs.

Hwoarang, out of the corner of his eye, saw the gun and dived past Lee's field of vision. Lee had fired one shot, but it was because that was all that was left in the clip.

Lee ejected the clip and inserted the last one that he had on him. He continued to run up the stairs.

11:23:45 – Le Carre was on the phone with some of his associates from the ATU. Ling was still rushing to the Zaibatsu, and they were getting close.

She felt like crying. It was hard to believe all that had happened today. She saw Hwoarang beaten to a nearly bloody pulp. She was attacked by Jin. She was kidnapped herself, only to be re-kidnapped by Kazuya and held hostage at a baseball stadium.

Her feelings for Hwoarang were genuine. Originally, she was there to spy on him, but then she began to feel for him. She didn't necessarily love him, but she cared about him. He was a confident person who always got what he wanted, but inside, he was as insecure as they can be. He hated they way he was raised. He was worried how of what he would become, but he didn't want to change how he was living at the time. Hwoarang had so many questions that only he himself could answer.

In a way, you could saw they were dating, but they were more friends than lovers. In fact, they had only had sex twice, and that was because they were both drunk and horny at the time. After the second time, she made sure it would never happen again. Even though they both knew their intimate relationship was no more, the friendship lasted. That is, until he left after the fourth tournament.

Then today she caught up with him, and she didn't know what to think at first. Part of her hated him, another part didn't care, and another part was happy to see him alive. But she soon realized they were still friends. Subconsciously, she had a slight hesitation, almost as if she wanted to have sex with him again. Of course the sex was incredible, but it just wasn't right. "_Morals,_" she thought, "_with the world as it is who needs them?_"

Her feelings for Jin were a different story. He was an old crush, but she really just wanted to be his friend, and for him to treat her the same way. She also cared about him, but she knew that while he wasn't reckless, he was self-destructive. He had thicker scars than Hwoarang, and she knew that eventually he would explode. Supposedly that happened at the last tournament. He nearly killed Heihachi and flew off. According to Le Carre, Jin had died twice, and came back to life both times. Jesus Christ would be proud.

"Yeah. Here she is," Le Carre said into his phone.

He was offering the phone to her.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Jin. He wants to talk to you," he said.

She took the phone.

"Jin," she said.

"Hey. I wanted to tell you that they're moving me into protective custody. I might not see you for a while," he said.

"Where are they taking you?"

"I don't know. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for what I did to you last night."

"It's ok. You did a good job. I'm sorry for all that you went through today."

"Thank you. I have to admit that you are a good friend. Hwoarang too, no matter how many times we fight each other. It's all good," he said.

Ling smiled. She knew that Jin was trying to say goodbye and couldn't. But she didn't care. At least he acknowledged her friendship finally. That was all that mattered.

11:30:59 – Hwoarang was slowing down. He was exhausted. Lee had already made it to the top floor and he was getting close. He stopped for a second. He sat on the stairs and held onto the bottom of the railing. He set his head against it, breathing hard. Sweat was pouring down his face and neck, his hair wet. He closed his eyes.

He was grateful for the people he had met today. His rivals and friends from the tournaments, his father, Le Carre, even Wallace had forced him to hold on to his sanity. The torture had destroyed him. And since then, he had been spiraling into a state of mind he might not have ever gotten out of had it not been for them. Wallace pushed him, Le Carre guided him, Ling consoled him, and Jin respected him. It was enough to carry on, and he didn't know what would have happened had it never happened.

His heartbeat slowed as he meditated there on the stairwell. It only took him a moment to catch his breath. He stood up and continued up the stairs, more focused.

At the top of the stairs, he could see the door had a window at eye level. He quickly glanced through it to see if Lee was going to try and blow his head off.

Inside, the hall was empty. He entered the door. The floor was made of wood, as were most of the walls. To his immediate left was a desk, where a secretary would be stationed at. To his right was a small waiting area, complete with a couch and table for magazines. In front of him was the hall, and it was slightly narrow.

He glanced at the secretary's desk. In front of it was a stand up holder for swords. Three were on the holder, and seeing as he was weapon-less, Hwoarang walked over and grabbed the largest one. He took the sheath off and tossed it aside.

He began walking down the hall, sword in hand. He could tell which office belonged to Lee, but just because there was only one obvious choice. The door to his office was wide open, while the other was closed and had the yellow "Crime Scene" tape across it.

He foot work was silent, being careful as to not make any noise. The sun was pouring through the windows and out into the hall, which would make Hwoarang's entrance obvious. He didn't care, he had a sword, and he would kill Lee with it if he went for his gun.

Hwoarang entered the room, and was taken off guard immediately. There was someone at the desk, and Lee was standing behind her. "What the fuck," he said.

It was impossible. Jin had said that he saw her die. It must have been a bot. That was the only way Julia Chang could be sitting up there. But why have a bot type on a computer when you could just do it yourself?

"She's real," Lee assured.

"Prove it," Hwoarang said.

"If you insist," he said. Lee took Julia's wrist, and she began to protest. He jerked her wrist, and anyone in the room would have been able to hear the bones break. She yelled and began to cry, holding her wrist in pain. "As I said, she's real," Lee said.

"Let her go," Hwoarang said.

Lee didn't respond. Hwoarang wondered why he didn't. Then it hit him, literally. Kazuya had come up from behind him, slamming his fist into the back of his head. Hwoarang stumbled forward, and Kazuya wrapped his arm around his neck and then hit him with a stun gun in the back. Hwoarang screamed and shook, and finally Kazuya let him fall to the floor. He was unconscious.

11:38:33 – Ling ran into the back entrance just before Le Carre. The lobby was completely empty.

Le Carre knew Lee would go back to his office, so he ran over to the elevators and hit the button. Nothing happened. He hit it again, and still, nothing happened.

"At least they did their job," he said.

"What's that," Ling asked.

"The guys from my office disabled the elevators. They're supposed to in case something like this happens. That way whoever gets in has to take the stairs, which in a high-rise like this will take a while depending on the floor of choice," Le Carre said.

"We're going to the top, though," Ling said.

"Exactly," he said.

They both ran to the stairwell and began their trek upstairs. Ling was obviously faster than Le Carre, but Le Carre was doing a good enough job keeping up. At forty, he obviously isn't as agile or youthful as Ling, but he worked out enough to have enough stamina to complete the job.

Le Carre tried to think about different things while running up the stairs. Passing the time was important, that way he wouldn't think about how many floors he had to go. He thought about a TV show he read about called "The Amazing Race". It seemed like a fun idea to have a race around the world. He had watched one episode where the teams had to take a boat to a ladder that was under a bridge. The teams had to select someone from their team to climb the ladder. He then thought about how difficult a task like this would be if it was on the show. Then he thought of something else to take his mind from the task at hand.

11:44:29 – Hwoarang opened his eyes and felt a sharp pain in his head. It wasn't a headache, because he could still feel that as well. He groaned as he lay on his side and then tried to get up off the floor of Lee's office.

Kazuya walked over to him and kicked him hard in the stomach. Hwoarang fell back to the floor, but immediately tried to get up. Kazuya then kicked him right in the face. He fell to the floor and turned over onto his back. He moaned in pain.

Julia stared at him in horror. Hwoarang really looked bad. He was thinner than he normally was, and he was really quite pale. She pitied him, but knew she had to keep that for another time.

Lee was standing over Hwoarang now, his hands in his pockets. Hwoarang glanced up at him. He could tell Lee was enjoying this.

Kazuya was enjoying it as well. After Hwoarang threw him out of a window in their last encounter, every hit felt great.

"You going to kill me?" Hwoarang asked.

"I don't want to kill you. My pleasure came when I saw you screaming from the torture back in Korea. But the fact that you're so persistent when it comes to getting revenge places me at a loss," Lee said.

Kazuya looked at Lee. Hwoarang looked at Kazuya. Lee looked back at Hwoarang.

"I must be leaving. I'll be leaving you in Kazuya's capable hands. Adieu," he said.

Lee glared at Julia. She got up from her chair at the desk and followed Lee out of the room.

Hwoarang saw him face the section of wall between the two offices. There must have been a keypad or some sort of switch he didn't see. Lee had hit a few things on the wall, and then he heard a swooshing noise. Lee then walked through the wall.

That's when Kazuya began to play. He immediately grabbed Hwoarang by the neck and threw him across the room. He landed on the floor and got up, only to be charged by Kazuya once again.

Kazuya ran at him, but Hwoarang was ready for him. Hwoarang raised his foot up to kick Kazuya in the face, but Kazuya dodged. He picked Hwoarang up by the neck and forcefully threw him into Lee's desk, which buckled under the weight.

Hwoarang coughed up blood. He was on the verge of loosing consciousness, and he knew that if he did, he would be dead. Kazuya came forward, a bright spot of light caused by glare in the window in front of him, ran across his face. Hwoarang's hands ran across the broken desk as he tried to get up from the broken desk. His left hand ran across something that caused him to fall back down on the desk.

Kazuya laughed. "You're pathetic, you know that? I throw you into a desk and you look like you're ready to die," he said. He knelt down in front of Hwoarang, who looked like he was about to pass out. He couldn't let him go out so quickly and easily. Kazuya grabbed Hwoarang by the neck.

Hwoarang struggled at first, but it was all an act. As soon as he felt his left hand come across the pen among the wreckage from the desk, he acted like he was knocked out. When Kazuya grabbed him by the neck, that's when he acted. He shoved the pen, tip out of course, into Kazuya's jugular vein. Blood sprayed out of his neck and onto the desk.

Kazuya must have lost his sense of direction. With the blood spraying all over the place, he ran behind the desk and crashed into the window. It broke, and Kazuya went with it. He went out the window and began the thirty story fall to the street below.

Hwoarang got up off the desk. He took the bottom of his shirt and wiped off the blood from his face. Thankfully, Lee left his gun on the desk. He grabbed the gun and ran off towards the door.

11:52:49 – Le Carre and Ling entered the top floor just in time to see a bloody Hwoarang run down a new hallway continuation of the hallway that originally cut off at the two offices.

"Hwoarang!" Le Carre called out.

Hwoarang didn't stop.

Ling and Le Carre ran after him but stopped when they felt the breeze coming from Lee's office. They looked inside, and from the hall they could see the blood on the window.

"Who fell?" Le Carre asked.

"I don't know," Ling said, "but we have to follow Hwoarang."

11:54:20 – Lee was running with Julia in front of him. The hall was long, and at the end was a good sized stairway the led up to a door to the helipad. He reached the staircase, and looked back. Hwoarang was sprinting towards him. He shoved Julia up the stairs, and followed. He had another gun on him. Smaller than his Beretta, the Walther PPK still packed a punch when impact is made at close-range. When he reached the top of the stairs, he got in front of Julia and turned around, holding the gun to her head.

Hwoarang came out at the end of the hall and saw Lee. He aimed his gun at him, and almost fired until he saw what Lee was aiming at.

"Drop the gun!" Lee yelled.

Hwoarang did as he was told. He didn't want Julia to die, not after he just found out that she was alive. "Let her go, she has nothing to do with this," he said.

"For once, we agree on something," Lee said. He kicked Julia in the back, forcing her to fall down the stairs. Lee bolted out the door, and Hwoarang reacted.

Hwoarang grabbed his gun and ran after him. He stopped momentarily to check Julia. She stopped herself as she fell, and she was rubbing her head when he checked on her. He continued on and ran up the stairs. He kicked open the door, and ran out onto the roof. Adrenaline pumped in his veins, which is why he didn't see Lee. Lee fired two shots at Hwoarang; the bullets hit him in the chest.

Hwoarang fell to the ground.

11:56:44 – Le Carre was had just came upon the stairs to the helipad when he heard the shots. That was when he saw Julia.

Ling quickly ran over to Julia to check on her, while Le Carre ran up the stairs to provide backup. He kicked at the door, but it didn't budge.

"Shit!" he yelled.

11:57:14 – Lee had luckily finished wrapping the door with the chain before Hwoarang's friends came busting in. He applied the lock and turned around to face Hwoarang. Lee didn't think he had much time before they came busting through the door. He had his gun out, and he walked over to Hwoarang.

Hwoarang wasn't moving. Lee could see that he was still breathing. He pointed his gun at Hwoarang's face.

"I can't I got you that easily," Lee said.

"Hey, Lee," Hwoarang said.

Lee reached into his suit jacket for something. "What," he said.

"I'm still wearing my vest," he said. The gun was still in Hwoarang's hand, and he angled it to aim at Lee and fired four shots. Lee fell to the ground. Hwoarang sat up and took a deep breath. It was over. Lee was dead. At least that's how he looked. Blood was pouring out of Lee's wounds onto the roof, and that's what told Hwoarang that he was dead.

But then he saw something strange. Next to Lee's body was something that looked like a billfold. He set the gun down on the ground and got up. He went over to the body and picked up the wallet.

His breath stopped short when he saw Lee carried in the wallet. It was a plastic ID that acted as a badge. Lee never told him, and he never said anything about it over the phone. All in all, he wasn't sure if anyone knew it.

"He was CIA," Hwoarang said.

11:59:57...

11:59:58...

11:59:59...

12:00:00.

Bonus Features Pt. 3 –

Alternate Endings –

1. Well, there were so many different ideas that had come across me as to the ending. And for the longest time, it was originally going to come down to being the release of the Devil Gene virus, for the first time. It had gone something like this:

Lee had escaped the stadium and ran back to the Zaibatzu headquarters, where he is killed by Hwoarang. Everything is pretty much the same up till the end when Hwoarang looks out in the distance. He sees hundreds of flying devils pouring out of the roof of the stadium, flying straight up into the sky.

I still think that that ending is a great one, it just didn't serve much to me when it came to a follow-up story, which had been somewhere in the back of my head. I wasn't going to do it unless I got a good response out of the community. And I wanted something in terms of reviews, and it didn't matter if they were good or bad. Originally, it had me wondering if it was any good, and I was wondering if I really had the ability to commit to a story of this size. But by the time I got halfway through, I knew I was going to finish it eventually. It was just a matter of time.

2. This is what I call the "WTF" ending. It's something that would have never gotten a sequel if it happened and it just served the purpose of being bizarre.

Pretty much everything is the same: Lee dies, and Hwoarang finds something out that shocks the hell out of him.

This time, he looks out into the sky and sees this huge backwards logo for the upcoming "Tekken 5". It said: "P1 P2 Insert Coins" underneath the game logo. Hwoarang just simply says: "I'm in a video game?" and that's it.

It's not that great of an ending, but I thought it would have been pretty funny.

3. There were other ideas for an ending, and these were the ones that crossed my mind and I dismissed them just as quickly. I had a "Twin brother" ending, where Hwoarang finds he has a twin at the last second. It was horrible. I even had the tragic ending where both Hwoarang and Lee die, with Hwoarang's last thought being where he asks himself why he secretly injected himself with the cure earlier in the morning, somewhere around the 4 am chapter. But this revelation has nothing to do with how the story actually turned out in the final ending.

Preview of Day Two-

So, you're all wondering what's going to happen next, when it's going to take place, where is it going to take place, and who's in it? Well, I'm going to tell you the basic summary:

The story takes place six months after Day One in a small, big city called Peoria, IL. (Yeah, I live there. Lol.) The city, in a nutshell, is Chicago on a 1/10 scale. It's big enough for about 150,000 people, but it's nowhere near as big or as busy as Chicago. It has its fare share of locations. The city has a good sized downtown area, with suburban neighborhoods surrounding it in almost every direction. Across the river is another city (East Peoria), followed by other locations, like a college for example. Most things are all within twenty minutes of each other depending on traffic, construction delays, and routes. I've lived here for my whole life and I when I was trying to think of a location for this story, I just thought about this place and it clicked.

I know that for the people who read this are from around here will agree with me when I say this: Peoria is extremely boring. The biggest news item around here is a controversy around a local school board. I guess that if you have kids going to those schools it might be important, but I'm 21. I go to college. My response: Wow. (Yes, that was sarcastic.)

Hwoarang and Jin are living there as a part of the CIA's Witness Protection Program. Their involvement with Lee Chaolan's Black Ops project to arrest William Amstel led them to where they are today.

After Kazuya's body was listed as missing, Jin became the new CEO of the Mishima Zaibatzu. He is obviously surprised, and it was all thanks to Heihachi's will, which commanded that only a blood relative of the Mishima's take control of his empire.

Jin sells the company in order to honor the CIA's request that he go underground for his own protection. He is still filthy rich, and he buys his own home in Peoria (under a different name, of course), and gives a generous share of cash to Hwoarang. Jin meanwhile becomes a secret partner of a massive company whose world headquarters are in Peoria.

Hwoarang meanwhile, does the exact opposite of Jin. He takes the money and just lives off of it. He doesn't bother getting a job of any kind, and the house he lives in is a basic two bedroom home with a backyard and a tree in the front. He only splurges for everything that's inside the house, and a tricked out Harley-Davidson, which he calls his "baby".

Living with Hwoarang and Jin is a bodyguard, who goes with them everywhere. To Hwoarang, his bodyguard is like a brother to him. They hang out and get along like two brothers would. While their lifestyles are completely different, there is a slight connection between them.

Winter falls on Peoria, and the cold makes sure that everyone living there knows it. This seems like an ideal place for Jin and Hwoarang to start a new life, but in reality, this is just a turning point.

Hwoarang gets a call from the local FBI office and is promptly told that three assassins are in town, and they've already established a body count. The problem is: Hwoarang and Jin are connected to all of the victims, and they themselves might be targets.

Jin comes home and receives a phone call as well. The caller tells him that he has someone important to him hostage, and he will kill the hostage if he doesn't do what he asks. When Jin starts to look for his bodyguard, the caller tells him to look outside. Doing as he was told, Jin looks outside to find his bodyguard shot to death in his driveway.

The following takes place between 7 pm and 8 pm. Welcome to Day Two...


End file.
